Kathy spent the final weeks of her life here in the sun room. It was also Kathy's final resting place at home when she was laid out and readied for her burial. It was here that we did the ceremonial preparations and wrapped her body in her shroud before transporting her to Prairie Creek Preserve.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Kathy's bed in the sun room
Kathy spent the final weeks of her life here in the sun room. It was also Kathy's final resting place at home when she was laid out and readied for her burial. It was here that we did the ceremonial preparations and wrapped her body in her shroud before transporting her to Prairie Creek Preserve.
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What a wonderful place for Kathy to have spent her final days surrounded by those who loved her so much. Julie, you did so much in helping her have such a wonderul, happy and productive life.
ReplyDeleteMay all your wonderful memories of the times spent together help ease your pain! And thank you so much for sharing such a personl time in both of your lives! She'll be watching over you for always!
I appreciate getting to see this, Julie. Thank you for posting the photo. Love You.
ReplyDeleteRuth
Dear Julie,
ReplyDeleteWe have not met, but I had the honor of serving on the Sierra Club SSJG/Excom board this year with Kathy...What an inspiration she was to me (and will continue to be.)
I wanted to share a moment with you that occured with my newborn little girl. Sage is 7 weeks old. Prior to her birth, Kathy would always ask how I was feeling and how my pregnancy was progressing. I remember my last conversation with Kathy: she expressed to me how important it was to enjoy every moment with Sage, and to "not worry about the small stuff." She encouraged me to rest easy should the house work fall behind..."leave the dishes stacked!" I smiled and thanked her, all the while not having a clear understanding of what and how life would change for me. As I became more intimate with reading these wonderful letters and posts, it occurred to me that this blog has become a true symbol of the circle of life. Sage was born a few weeks before Kathy's death...
One early sleepless morning (4am), she and I had been up for hours. I had tried every possible suggestion and remedy to try and calm her colicky tummy. Nothing seemed to work. I was at my wits end as I hated to see her in pain. While desperately searching for a moment of peace, I decided to read Kathy's blog for comfort while she cried in my arms. I propped her up on my leg and began to read the newest post that showed the beautiful picture of Kathy's sun room where she spent the final hours of her life. All of a sudden the screaming stopped! Sage became fixated on the screen. I looked at her eyes and observed her expression to make sure she was really seeing the computer screen. She sat in silence with a mesmerized look on her sweet face that was stained with tears. I began to tell her about Kathy. I enlarged the picture and told her everything I knew about Kathy: how she loved nature, the birds, the trees, the water, the prairie,...how she loved mother earth. I told Sage that Kathy was with God and that we needed to love our earth and all of creation as Kathy did. Sage was quiet for a beautiful 5 minutes as she stared at the picture! I know it does not seem like much, but it was a gift indeed. It gave me the encouragement and brief rest needed to refuel and change my inward thoughts and energy. The crying began again, but not for long. I continued to talk to her softy as sleep slowly took over. I promised Sage that I would work as hard as Kathy to preserve mother nature in whatever way that I could...for her sake and for her children to come.
Inwardly, I was so grateful to have this wonderful moment with my daughter. I know she did not understand my words, but I believe she sensed the intent, and the relaxing calm that radiated from the words of love throughout this blog and eventually through me. Thank you for sharing Kathy with us. Thank you to Shirley for the beautiful letters and thoughts. Thank you to Kathy for inspiring those around her to do the right thing. Her spirit will live on. She was a beautiful gift from the universe.
Sincerely,
Melanie Martin