A Mother, sister, confidant and friend.

The following is an e-mail we got from our sister in law Jane last night. Her father's journal is accesible through the Caring Bridge link on the right. I thought a beautiful and simple reflection on their life long relationship. Thanks for sharing Jane. Our thoughts are with you and your family. Your family's positive perspective through this is inspiring. P



Friends and Family~

I just wanted to offer you and update on my Mom's condition. My dad has written a very nice piece on her CaringBridge website if you would like to read it (see link below).

I was just up in Minnesota for 4 days and my mom is at a beautiful hospice house. She has a private room and a window with a view of the farmland and a windmill - very Southern Minnesotan. She is getting the best possible care for her situation. She is in the very last stages of Parkinson's Disease and is barely eating. However, when she is eating it is ice cream so I am happy to know she can still enjoy that.

I had a really nice visit with her as well as my dad and my brother. She knew it was me and it was great to be able to talk to her about what a wonderful mom she had been to me and how much I loved her. I know that Dad and the hospice staff are taking the best possible care of her as she has had a "comfort kit" prescribed so the nurses can make her as comfortable as possible and Dad is there at least twice a day, talking to her and massaging her legs. Seeing the two of them together after 50 years has given me so much inspiration. They were truly meant to be.

While I know it won't be long and it saddens me to see her in pain, it has given me time to reflect on all the joy and happiness she has give me and others. I'm sure my college friends can remember her "not having time to write much" to me and then writing me 12 pages or my high school friends will remember her picking us up from movies or letting us eat M and M's at all hours of the night and playing games with us. Others of you may have only met her briefly at a hockey game or my wedding but I'm sure her sunny outlook on life came through.

Please keep her and my family in your prayers for the next few weeks. While we know that she is ultimately heading for a better place, it is still hard to let go as I'm sure most of you can relate to.

Thanks for listening~

Love, Janie