No more waiting.

My friend Elizabeth died today
at 11:10 in the morning.

She turned her face toward the window
exhaled eyes wide open,
she left - she was gone.

They called me from the Convalescent Center.
Told me they would not move her body
until I came.

On the way over, I thought:
“Live your life as if everybody has a window to your soul.”

We stood by her bed, Margaret, Cathy & I.
We said goodby,
read the 23 Psalm (as Fay had reminded me):

 The Lord is my Shepard; I shall not want.
 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
 he leadeth me beside the still waters.
 He restoreth my soul:
 he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
 I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
 thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
 thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
 and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

reminisced on those precious moments we all had shared.

Admired her courage,
her single purpose determination:

She had reached the end.
She wanted to die.
She took her life in her own hands:

“I desire that my religious conviction that there is a time to die
determined by my body and my mind be respected by my family and
caretakers.  I believe I have a right to die.”

She exercised her right.
She did it,
in dignity.

lloyd marbet, 1-11-2000