Oh dear, oh dear! I’ve been looking back at the start of this
blog. What a boring old fart I’ve become since then. My posts have increased in
length and in grumpiness. I’m surprised anyone reads them any more. I know some
people do. Probably my family….
Anyway, here I am today, sitting in my favourite Cornerstone café
admiring the new kitchen in the children's corner, that Sarah the manager raised money for, by going
without sugar throughout February. The sun is shining and all’s well with the
world.
On Saturday we had the local branch MNDA AGM. As usual it was
a friendly time. We did the business bit, and after lunch had a talk about the
NIHCE Guidelines on MND. Wow, it’s a weighty tome! And I suppose GPs and Health
Commissioning groups are meant to have a grip on scores of similar documents….
We also heard about the Happy Valley Festival, a seriously cool one-day music
festival in aid of MND on 17th June (http://www.happyvalleyfestival.co.uk/) - tickets on sale tomorrow.
I asked one of our local MND experts what I could expect
dying to be like. The answer was compassionate and honest: “The hardest part of
MND is the living with it, not the dying. As the muscles weaken, the oxygen
level drops, carbon dioxide rises. Usually people die in their sleep.”
Or words to that effect. Reassuring. Confirmed my view that dying with MND is no more distressing for
all involved than any other death.
My friend and I have both been reading "Light From The Dark Valley" by Sheila Cassidy. It is inspirational in every possible way. Especially her compassionate, down to earth and positive words about death and the dying. There are two wonderful chapters about Good Friday which I have found caused a new light to shine for me. If you would like to read it it's available through an Amazon seller, second hand but you'd never know it was second hand. It only cost me 1 pence plus the postage when I bought it for my friend.
ReplyDeleteShe lost her husband to cancer last July after they had just celebrated their Golden Wedding. I feel privileged that she meets up with me regularly and we talk about anything and everything.
I would highly recommend Sheila Cassidy's book. She is honest, spiritual, down to earth, ;practical and has a sense of humour!
Lovely to hear from you again. And thank you for your recommendation. I admire Sheila Cassidy a lot. At the moment my Lent reading is Walter Brueggemann's A Way Other than our Own, which is full of food for thought. I hope you have a deep Holy Week and a Joyful New Year.
ReplyDeleteThank-you Michael, Good to be visiting again. We've had quite a few 'ups and downs' in the last couple of years as my husband has had some unexpected health issues. I have found Guardian Angels in the most unexpected places and ways leaving me in no doubt that of is always near.
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