All it takes is one word to change your day for good or for not so good.
I thought the Fridays word prompt was; WORD
When I thought about it later it fit well into the season of time we were in.
By the end of the day I got news that my sister Mary had passed away.
One word changes it all. She is gone. It’s over. Final ending.
I am still in a sort of shock and I’m dealing with this news ever so slowly.
We were close for many years.
Growing up I was her rescuer; many times I helped her when she couldn’t do it alone.
In the 90’s I bribed her with a paid flight home, so she could visit with us and see our parents.
It was a good intentional thought with the hopes, that she would decide to come home from Arkansas and live here again.
She did, when she returned; she told her husband she was leaving and they arrived in Oregon; like the Beverly Hillbillies with every thing they owned in a truck and small trailer.
They soon found an apartment near my house and it was a great time of sister bonding again.
Later she moved to a nearby town and slowly became more ill.
I helped find her a doctor who believed in her and who was dedicated to helping her.
I fought hard, for her. The love we had was tight and I always advocated for her and her well being.
She had humor and kindness most of the time. The other times she struggled with a reality within herself.
Things were not perfect for her, she often struggled with addiction issues, and always smoked.
In 2006 she was placed under the care of hospice after I requested it, I said to her doctor “if she won’t go to him, can HE go to her?”
It worked well for several months and the diagnosis was a severely compromised liver.
During that time of her illness, her husband passed away.
She ended up at our home and we helped detox her from the intense alcohol that was in her system.
It was a major undertaking and I wrote about it in my blog several times; because what we did was amazing and noteworthy.
It was four of us, plus hospice and her doctor who believed in her.
She lived because we took time to help heal her, emotionally and physically.
This time around was different for her. This time on hospice was not going to end as well as the last time.
When I received word that she was gone. It was a sad moment for me.
My sister was gone. She was not going to get well.
Her journey was over. Her suffering ended. Her life was finally in peace.
Sometimes all it takes is one word… how we receive it, is a choice we make for a lifetime.
Later I found out the word prompt was WELL. Which also works for this writing.