Beautiful Death…A Tribute to Margaret
We all think that the proper order of death in the family starts
at the top. First it’s our grandparents, then our parents and followed by the kids. We feel that it
is absolutely unacceptable to be any other way. Kids simply are not supposed to
die before the parents. Ever! But when it happens…parents, no matter what age say things
like, “I was supposed to go first!” or "this is not the way it's supposed to be!"
Margaret is 94. She reminds me of Ever Ready Bunny, she just keeps plugging
along while the majority of people she knows and loves are dying. Her attitude
about death now is basically, that when you get to the “end of the line” stage
in life, the sting of death doesn’t hurt as bad as it once did. Her frequent visits to a local funeral home were almost as common as going on a
trip to a grocery store. In one week, she said she went to 9 funerals!! Can you
imagine?
Last weekend Margaret's daughter Ann died at the very young age
of 62 years. When Margaret told me her daughter died a couple of days ago, she
seemed in shock that it happened, but she had a complete calmness about her. She
was sad, yet she seemed at peace with life in general. She remains optimistic
about the time she has left alive. She remarked that Ann’s death was so
beautiful. I thought what more could a person ask for? To see your child enter
into the world and then leave it…ready, comfortable, and with her family at her
side. WOW! (I’ll have one of those please!)
Margaret said that her daughter had just been moved to a rehabilitation
facility from a lengthy hospital stay. Everyone in the family thought she was
getting better. But she took a turn for the worse. Margaret said “She was ready
to go” and that “She had a happy death”. Margaret was sitting beside the bed
holding her hand. Ann received her last rights. Margaret was telling Ann that
it was OK to go. Ann’s last words on the planet were, “Hello Daddy”. And she died.
Her father had been dead about 15 years.
I wanted to share her experience because so many times death
gets a bad rap. There is a distinct possibility that the person moving on is
comfortably happy to be done with their world. They have accepted the fact that
THEY WILL CHANGE. Into what or how they change ultimately doesn’t matter to
anyone but them.
Margaret is not afraid to change someday either. In the meantime…plug
on Margaret! ; )
Be well friends!
Julie Pope
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