I am really not fixated on death and I have got to quit reading the obituaries, but today’s obit was actually a story on the back page. As you probably noted, Art Buchwald died. Younger people may not know who he is, but anyone from my generation should fondly remembers his humorous writings. He had a syndicated newspaper column for years that took humorous barbs at politicians and the movers and shakers. He was not mean.
February 2006, Art was told by Drs. he would dead in weeks from kidney failure. He went into a hospice but had to check out when he lived on… and on. He continued even when faced with bad news to cheer others up. He is quoted in the article as saying; “The French ambassador gave me the literary equivalent of the Legion of Honor. The National Hospice Association made me man of the year. I never realized dying was so much fun.”
That is actually an excerpt he wrote in his last book.
My mom also died from kidney failure. Like Art Buchwald she outlived predictions of Drs. Her nephrologist said she would be dead in six months without dialysis. She lived two and a half more years. She got her news in early fall and gave away all of her summer clothes thinking she would not be around the following summer anyway. We then had a chuckle when it warmed up the following May and she had no lightweight clothes. Time to shop. Outliving the six months probably had a lot to do with her self discipline. She was on an extremely restricted low protein, low sodium, low cholesterol, low potassium diet. She followed it. My sister and I joked it would be curtains for us if that was our prescribed diet. Not much is left on the menu when you compute that diet.
She also was a woman of faith and not afraid to go to her reward. Even in that trial she was an inspiration to many much like Art Buchwald. A salute to both of them for lives well lived.
Day 4 for me. Today I’ll look to these two as my inspiration. I can do this.
February 2006, Art was told by Drs. he would dead in weeks from kidney failure. He went into a hospice but had to check out when he lived on… and on. He continued even when faced with bad news to cheer others up. He is quoted in the article as saying; “The French ambassador gave me the literary equivalent of the Legion of Honor. The National Hospice Association made me man of the year. I never realized dying was so much fun.”
That is actually an excerpt he wrote in his last book.
My mom also died from kidney failure. Like Art Buchwald she outlived predictions of Drs. Her nephrologist said she would be dead in six months without dialysis. She lived two and a half more years. She got her news in early fall and gave away all of her summer clothes thinking she would not be around the following summer anyway. We then had a chuckle when it warmed up the following May and she had no lightweight clothes. Time to shop. Outliving the six months probably had a lot to do with her self discipline. She was on an extremely restricted low protein, low sodium, low cholesterol, low potassium diet. She followed it. My sister and I joked it would be curtains for us if that was our prescribed diet. Not much is left on the menu when you compute that diet.
She also was a woman of faith and not afraid to go to her reward. Even in that trial she was an inspiration to many much like Art Buchwald. A salute to both of them for lives well lived.
Day 4 for me. Today I’ll look to these two as my inspiration. I can do this.
1 comment:
Yes, you can do this. And maybe I'll tag along. If Grandma had such drive, can't we?!
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