I nod, and ignore. After all, over the past ten weeks he said they lost his food, his meds, his laundry, and none of the accusations were true, only products of frustrated confusion. How could they lose him? He's a big guy.
But the next day John says, you know, we almost lost Rich, and pats Rich on the shoulder, relieved and shaken as he tells me he went into Rich's room after I left, and Rich was staring vacant, frozen, unresponsive.
A seizure, is the best guess, and I'm not surprised. As the chordoma expands, it will reach deeper into Rich's brain. Fortunately, both John and Flay, the most experienced nurse, were with him, and didn't panic (though Rich wonders how could he take meds from a nurse named flay). Probably, this will happen again, and again, while I watch him wander further from the person I call "Rich."
Joe, the designer of Hospicare's prize-worthy gardens, is also a talented musician. Yesterday, as he has already done several times, he stopped by and played the piano. Under his flannel shirt was a T-shirt inscribed: "All who wander are not lost."
Rich's motto, now. Mine, too.
Candace
2 comments:
Woh, Candace, that stopped me short. I guess we all have to be prepared for the day when the news will take the inevitable turn that Rich is not with us anymore, but it will come as a shock no matter how prepared we feel.
From Tolkien's book _Lord of the Rings_, the entire quote, which seems mystically appropriate at this moment on many levels in this journey with Rich and you:
“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost;
the old that is strong does not wither,
deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be awoken,
a light from the shadows shall spring;
renewed shall be blade that was broken,
the crownless again shall be king.”
There will be fire, and light, and renewal. After ashes, and shadow, and broken. And we're with you through all of it, as much as we can be. With great love, Heather
As always, Heather -- beautiful. And chillingly appropriate, though you could not know. This was, so many years ago, the first "note" Rich left for me, under my dorm room door. I'm not sure why he felt it appropriate then, but it certainly is now, and gave me chills then, too, but I was too young to know why.
Much love ~ Candace
Post a Comment