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The coronavirus pandemic has not affected my life much in the past week. <strong> My mother was placed under hospice care Friday, February 26, so I took vacation and drove 500+ miles to be with her</strong> Sunday, February 28. Sunday night, I stayed with my son and daughter-in-law. Monday, I drove to the facility where Mom lived.<strong> Mom was unresponsive, but occasionally opened her eyes when I touched her and spoke to her over the next four days. I barely slept</strong> on my brother’s couch that was too short as<strong> thoughts swam around in my head at night.</strong> I went to my parents’ home Tuesday afternoon and bagged up the rest of the stuff left on shelves and in drawers. I did this to feel useful instead of just sitting with Mom as she slept. Wednesday, my sister-in-law and I threw a lot of Mom’s stuff away, donated items to the activity director for game prizes, and gave her clothes to a housekeeper. I went to the funeral home to make arrangements. That night, I met a friend for dinner at a local restaurant. My friend remarked that nobody was wearing a mask and the place was crowded. Thursday, I sat with Mom. From the first day, I noticed when Mom opened her eyes, they were gray. Mom had brown eyes. Since she was unresponsive, I spent time working remotely while sitting with her. <strong> I planned on leaving Friday morning</strong> and<strong> got the call around 6:30 that she was close to passing. My brother and I sat with Mom until she died. The whole process of her dying was very peaceful.</strong> She was sleeping from the first day I was with her until she passed away. I am glad that she went in the manner most of us want to go… in our sleep. <strong> I got into my car to leave and watched Canadian geese land on the roof</strong> of the facility where Mom was.<strong> Seeing them</strong> sitting on the rooftop<strong> gave me comfort with the thought that<strong> Mom had left the building and was free to fly away from the misery of this Earth.</strong>
March 14, 2021