A. Stream of visitors and events

A few days ago, I had five visitors - Bill Warriner, Fred Breunig and Patrice Murray, Elizabeth Christie and Margie Serkin. That could have been very tiring but wasn't. Three stayed a very short time; that helped.

Fred and Patrice.************************************* Ever since I posted the new era blog, I've seen a lot of people. They may sense the time may be short. The big thing that has happened is that I was visited by a Hospice nurse, Sy, and she interviewed me extensively and I am signed up with Bayada Hospice. This is going to be a huge help in terms of personal care, equipment (like a good wheelchair), meds, etc. This will support Ellen especially. So I'll be seeeing a lot of Bayada staff in coming weeks. The other big thing is that I was featured on a Zoom Higher Ground session Thursday in which I elaborated on things I said in a previous session about my "journey into dying." People really appreciated what I said and wanted to hear more. Here are some notes made by Mike Mayer. "Larry’s sharing with the group last week was evocative for us all. Excerpts include: “I think that dying is an amazing journey. And I have entered it with a lot of questions and uncertainties; now I’m beginning to understand better what it’s about. It’s definitely a discovery of a lot of goodness and wonder, and love and forgiveness, and sharing, and so, it’s an amazing journey!” Larry reflected on what he called a “practice for dying,” entering a new phase of his illness with major fatigue, but generally feeling better. He spoke glowingly of ways others have enriched his process: the Guilford church singing group coming by, and a group of ministers who have gotten together to discuss the book Aging with Wisdom and Grace by Dr. Wilkie and his wife Noreen Cannon Au. “It sees the dying process as a very special, wonderful, important part of life… not to be feared or avoided… not to be denied. It’s to be fully embraced! And open oneself to new opportunities! It’s just a whole different way to think about the process of dying. And to see it as something, which is really in many ways, possibly the most important part of your life. I can’t say I’ve achieved that 100%, but I have a better understanding, and I’m evolving, and changing, and growing, and learning… Who knows what is yet to be discovered in this process.” Others have come on Wednesdays to support Ellen’s care-giving process to give her time for other things in her life. One of her many gifts to him has been her frequent reading aloud—“medicine” for helping calm him down and rest amidst the tremors of Parkinson’s. In Hallowell, the hospice choir, co-founder Kathy Leo refers to it as the “don’t-know-mind”, that comes from The Five Invitations by Frank Ostasetski, that Fred also referred to in readings related to his own illness. “It’s a mind free of all expectations and presumptions, and just completely open to what is there,” Larry went on to say. “What is real and true right now in this room—the people, the thoughts, the fears, the hopes, the postures that people are assuming, the way people are touching the person who is in the bed. We try to be completely aware and open to that, and then respond to that in our singing. It’s an amazing, amazing experience to go into a situation, totally unknown, with that kind of openness and attitude of not knowing. It goes contrary to a lot of things that maybe we were taught in another part of our lives. We’re told we should know, or we should be arming ourselves in some way, but it’s good to be vulnerable, and to be open, and to let the reality of a situation wash over us, and then respond to that in an authentic way.” Reflections from the group came up about Larry’s life well-lived, and how much his process is a gift for the rest of us, helping us to die to the things in our lives we’re ready to let go of. Andrea related this to her experience of training in soul-midwifery, where she’s been learning how to be totally present with what’s happening with others as they approach death."************************* Meanwhile, things are happening wuth Bayada. Today an oxygen machine was delivered. I haven't tried it yet. I'm hoping it will give me extra energy.