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Progressive Christian

2010-09-16T11:07:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

How Much Will We Have Spent?

Last updated on: September 16, 2010 at 11:07 am By Christy Thomas

Note: this is an excerpt from An Ordinary Death: Where Grief and Relief Hold Hands, available from Amazon.com. As Mother comes closer and closer to her final moments on earth (probably two to three more days: we have had to very much increase her morphine in the last 24 hours and she no longer has any signs of consciousness), my brother, sister and I are having frequent meetings to address the complex issues concerning the winding up of her estate.... Read more

an ordinary death

Uncategorized

death and dying

2010-09-15T15:27:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Day Twelve of Hospice

Last updated on: September 15, 2010 at 3:27 pm By Christy Thomas

Note: this is an excerpt from An Ordinary Death: Where Grief and Relief Hold Hands, available from Amazon.com. Genesis 2:7 reads, “Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.” God breathed into this dust-based earth-creature the breath of life–and then, and only then, did this lump of dust turn into something human. Breaths, breathing, air, life . . . Mother... Read more

an ordinary death

death and dying

2010-09-15T09:45:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Restlessness and Discomfort, Day 12 of Hospice

Last updated on: September 15, 2010 at 9:45 am By Christy Thomas

Note: this is an excerpt from An Ordinary Death: Where Grief and Relief Hold Hands, available from Amazon.com. Rough morning. Restlessness and discomfort predominated for at least an hour and a half this morning. Mother is minimally conscious, eyes half open, but unfocused, but she can still hear and nod her head yes or no. I suspect we’re going to have to give her both the pain meds and the anti-anxiety meds more often now. I have to recognize that... Read more

an ordinary death

death and dying

2010-09-15T00:06:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The End Is Near, Day Eleven of Hospice

Last updated on: September 15, 2010 at 12:06 am By Christy Thomas

Note: this is an excerpt from An Ordinary Death: Where Grief and Relief Hold Hands, available from Amazon.com. I was planning to go ahead and sleep in my own bed tonight, since my body clearly longs for good and deep sleep. But my brother emailed and said that mother was clearly getting worse. I made a snap decision to go ahead and come back here for the night and probably several days to follow. Our night nurse is here and... Read more

an ordinary death

death and dying

hospice

2010-09-14T08:24:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

A Brief Update, Day 10 of Hospice

Last updated on: September 14, 2010 at 8:24 am By Christy Thomas

Note: this is an excerpt from An Ordinary Death: Where Grief and Relief Hold Hands, available from Amazon.com. I have not yet seen Mother this morning, but have just received an email from my brother. He wrote what I had guessed: last night’s stroke means she will no longer be able to take in liquid or food. The last days have arrived. I will be driving down shortly to collect my middle son and family to get them to the... Read more

an ordinary death

death and dying

2010-09-13T23:23:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Urgency Hits, Day Nine of Hospice

Last updated on: September 13, 2010 at 11:23 pm By Christy Thomas

Note: this is an excerpt from An Ordinary Death: Where Grief and Relief Hold Hands, available from Amazon.com. Last Thursday, September 9, a sense of urgency hit me. There were several legal/financial matters concerning Mother’s estate that my brother and sister and I had been talking about, and I said, “Whatever we need to do, we need to do it NOW. I have a strong feeling something is going to happen next Tuesday.” It made no sense. On that day,... Read more

an ordinary death

death and dying

2010-09-12T12:15:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Anxiety Attack, Day Eight of Hospice

Last updated on: September 12, 2010 at 12:15 pm By Christy Thomas

Note: this is an excerpt from An Ordinary Death: Where Grief and Relief Hold Hands, available from Amazon.com. Mother had an unusual reaction to some medication we gave her last night. This was the first time she had complained of pain, so we gave her a small dose a common pain reliever of hydrocodone and acetaminophen that had been provided by the hospice pharmacy. I assumed it would make her sleepy, but instead she became very, very talkative. More words... Read more

an ordinary death

death and dying

2010-09-11T09:11:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Hotel Thomas is Full

Last updated on: September 11, 2010 at 9:11 am By Christy Thomas

This again reminds my of my frustration that someone can come in and pronounce my mother "fine and alert" mentally when we who know her know that she is missing seven beats out of eight. It's just that her eighth beat is still so powerful that only those who know her are aware of the lost seven before it. Read more

2010-09-09T09:53:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Woman I am Fighting So Hard For

Last updated on: September 9, 2010 at 9:53 am By Christy Thomas

Note: this is an excerpt from An Ordinary Death: Where Grief and Relief Hold Hands, available from Amazon.com. Below is an article I wrote about my mother for Mother’s Day, 2007. For those of you who are being so supportive of me and our family through these times, I thought it might help if you had a better picture of this unique woman. The Rev. Dr. Christy Thomas Daughter 214-418-9541 [email protected] A couple of years ago, I was catching... Read more

an ordinary death

death and dying

Mother's Day

mother-daughter relationships

2010-09-08T22:41:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Hospice and Government Regulations

Last updated on: September 8, 2010 at 10:41 pm By Christy Thomas

Note: this is an excerpt from An Ordinary Death: Where Grief and Relief Hold Hands, available from Amazon.com. After seeing what I had posted earlier today, an attorney friend of mine got in touch with me to inquire which hospice organization we are using. I have deliberately not used the name of that particular hospice as I believed that it was not fair to give them bad publicity without giving some time to rectify what had happened. This good and... Read more

an ordinary death

death and dying

hospice

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