Your essence

Please feel free to come visit Mom here at the hospice house. Visitors are welcome are welcome day and night here, although Mike and I are getting a little punchy, so reasonable hours are helpful. The facility is beautiful and peaceful, as you can see from the images on their website here.

Mom has been quite peaceful, and comes to for the briefest of moments where she responds to prompts. She puckered up for a kiss, which might be the most wonderful kiss I've ever had. Tracey Panek from church came by this morning, and I said, "Mom - Tracey's here. Can you see her?" Mom said, "I have my eyes closed," then quickly went back to snoring.

When she comes to for those moments it's so delicious and touching that it hurts - it's physically painful. I just can't get enough contact, and these brief moments are a reminder of what we're losing. I was telling my good friend Lauren, who's spending the weekend with her Mom, about how precious that time is, and how none of us can really appreciate it until it's too late. All we can do is try - and sometimes we'll be successful. Make the effort to enjoy this precious moment, the one you're living right now. It's fleeting. And if you have a Mom, give her a kiss for me. Love is your very essence, and sometimes you know it.

Much love,
Dave (and Mike and Mary and Courtney and Brooke)