Farewell to Rachel

By David Spero My mother-in-law died last week. It wasn't a tragedy. She was 93 years old and died peacefully in her sleep, without apparent pain. But it got me thinking about death and other scary things. Rachel was living in a board and care facility 60 miles away when she died. For various reasons, including my own disability, she couldn't stay with us. We couldn't afford four-star care, but the staff was very caring and skillful. She actually got to do more socializing and seemed less lonely than she had before she got there. She made two friends and the three of them had all their meals together and hung out in their wheelchairs in the common space. She saw her daughter about once a week and her grandson and her great-granddaughter Anaya once a month. I realize that's not much, but the home was far away and that's the best we could do. They had activities like jazz musicians who came and performed in the common space, which she loved. She spent most of her time reading books and newspapers and watching TV news shows and Judge Judy. She wrote little letters, notes, and cards to her friends and family to keep in touch. Rachel had been one of the first woman airplane pilots and taught flying for several years. She edited texts for continuing education for lawyers. Before that she edited newspapers for unions, including one paper for Czech workers in factories in Chicago. She was a political activist who fought for civil rights, women's rights, and workers' rights. She wa...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - Category: Diabetes Authors: Source Type: blogs