July 31, 2013

Tell them you love them...

Hi.

I literally have a lump in my throat, and had to blink the tears in my eyes away, so nobody at work would think something's wrong. I'm a little somber right now, because I read a heartbreaking, beautiful story on NPR. One of their radio anchors posted a series of tweets, chronicling from when his elderly mother was admitted for emergency surgery until just after she died.

Please read Scott Simon's Long Goodbye to His Mother.

Here's an excerpt...

A Loving Son Shares His Grief

For the last two weeks, NPR host Scott Simon has been sharing the story of his dying mother, who passed away last night. From the moment he learned of her illness two weeks ago to her passing, he showed us Twitter at its most compassionate, loving and human.
  1. Scott first received word of his mother's illness on July 16, which he relayed to his Twitter followers with a taste of her humor:
  2. Mother called: "I can't talk. I'm surrounded by handsome men." Emergency surgery. If you can hold a thought for her now...
  3. Initially, it appeared her surgery had gone well and her recovery was just a matter of time.
  4. Tnx for nice thoughts for my mother. She's in recovery now, wheezing jokes through oxygen tube! Inspiration in aspiration!
  5. My mother in ICU sees Kate & Will holding baby and tears: "Every baby boy is a little king to his parents. " So I tear too.
  1. As her condition worsened, the two of them found solace in one of their most cherished activities: singing together.
  2. My mother & I just sang Que Sera Sera 3 times. God bless you Doris Day for giving us such a great theme song.
  3. My mother drifts to sleep listening to Nat's Unforgettable. I keep things light, but moments like this hard, if sweet.
  4. Mother & I just finished a duet of We'll Meet Again. Every word has meaning. Nurse looks in, asks, "Do you take requests?"
  1. As the end approached, Scott persevered. 
  2. I don't know how we'll get through these next few days. And, I don't want them to end.
  3. Mother asks, "Will this go on forever?" She means pain, dread. "No." She says, "But we'll go on forever. You & me." Yes.
  4. Family joins me today. Maybe they'll help me to be strong. My mother showed me how that's done, come to think of it.
  5. If we only truly realized how little time we have..,
  6. I just realized: she once had to let me go into the big wide world. Now I have to let her go the same way.
  7. The day before she passed away, Scott talked about his mother's awareness of him using Twitter to share his pain. She took the opportunity to share some advice to all of us who were following along.
  8. I am not sure my mother understands Twitter or why I tell her millions of people love her--but she says she's ver touched.
  9. I think she wants me to pass along a couple of pieces of advice, ASAP. One: reach out to someone who seems lonely today.
  10. And: listen to people in their 80's. They have looked across the street at death for a decade. They know what's vital.
  11. Oh, and: Oh earth, you're too wonderful for anyone to realize you. It goes too quickly.
It doesn't end there. Read the whole story here. Then call your parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, friends and tell them you love them.

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