|
Coldwater, Michigan | Barb, I respect your decision totally! You had a tough time with having to watch your husband die a few years back and what he had to go through. And yet you have blessed us with your photography skills for several years. After seeing some of your pictures for a few years, I decided to try and see you on one of my fishing trips to the Chetek, Wisconsin area. It was great meeting with you and talking about life in general. Even on learning I had a Studebaker in my garage, you told me that the Studebaker club in the area was having a meeting in your area that weekend.
I went fishing with my cousin and younger brother to Chetek, and a few other areas to the west of there, for several years. Usually when I was there I would take a day off of fishing to just drive around that broad area to see the beauty you have shown us so many times. I discovered some of the same places your pictures were taken. Or in time, I discovered some of the places I had seen show up in your pictures. In both cases it was a thrill to see the same pictures/places show up. Probably the first time I remember that happen was when I saw the (I believe it was a John Deere) old tractor sitting back from the highway on top of a high rock in the middle of no where! My thoughts: How in the heck did they ever get that tractor up there!
I am sure there are several here that remember that picture!
Barb, on a deeper level: I was in service from 1968-thru most of 1971. I was just a young kid, not married, not really dating, and scared to death. I had enlisted into the Navy Seabees knowing full well that most Seabees saw Vietnam. I was willing to do that, but was still scared to death ( I was 19-21 at the time). I was afraid I wasn't going to make it back. MY "Advance Party" had already left and the rest of the battalion was supposed to deploy in 2 weeks. By the "Hand of God" I never saw Vietnam!
I read lots of books while I was in and some helped me form my own opinions about death and dying. "If I was to die in Vietnam, I wanted it to be final!" I didn't want to come home injured and putz around trying to save my life for a few months/years just to have me finally dying. After I got out, I shared some of these thoughts with my mother.
My thoughts at the time was a concept called "Mercy Death" . If you will: when my time comes, ... let me die! My mother could not get her mind around that at all. She saw it as "Mercy Killing"!
2 1/2 years ago I almost faced that reality. I had Covid, 2 weeks later, I was full of blood clots from my groin to my ankle and in my lungs (and they put me on some powerful blood thinners) , 3 weeks later, I had a heart attack. All in a total of 7 weeks! My wife was concerned! I was concerned! Because of how concerned my wife was about me I promised her I would do my best to make it to 80 years old. Then what ever hit the fan, would hit it! I turned 76 this past October, feel better than I did 2 years ago.
We will all be faced with what you (Barb) are now facing. How far do we want to push the inevitable? I met a lot of new doctors in that 7 week period! One of them made the comment "If you would have had the heart attack with your blood as thick as it was, you would have never made it to the emergency room." I think I was getting close to my final wish!
Let us pray for Barb. Let us pray that the good Lord allows her to live her final days in Communion with Him!
| |
|
Decision day
