Tuesday, March 29, 2011

"flowers are forever"

i saw her arriving in the ward on a stretcher with a bouquet of purple flowers neatly tucked in to her sides.
It looked nice but the overall picture was not so rosy.The multitude of health issues were there to deal with besides her age.She was 80 years younger who made you wondered how she managed out so far.

Overtime I knew about her,her pains,her life,passions and hobbies.One of her hobby was to send flowers to people in their good times and not so good times.I learned that flowers are natures gift,a way of decorating our lives with color,fragrance and delicacy.

I saw that every few days she was receiving a nice bouquet and her room was becoming a wonderland of exotic flowers.Flowers say it all even without a message card,she told me that. If I have to live again I will live as a flower she continued.

That was my last conversation with her.She left behind tons of flowers,all reminded us of her presence,even though she was not there.

Yes,I remember her words:flowers say it all even without a message card.

To some of us she touched our lives with a different perspective;flowers are forever as is her memory.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

"wish you were here"

Life is not easy to live.The pain of hanging on is sometimes more severe than hanging in there.


I have heard enough stories of people losing their spouses at home.Sometimes expected though at other times suddenly in their sleep in their own bed just next to them.People live with a scar of unfulfilled love when that happen,sudden death,no warning ,no sign.

He was dying in hospital with cancer,a progressive,erosive tumor causing pain and suffering.His wife was there all the time,as were we.He was asked to have any thing and every thing what ever he would liked.He asked for a beer and his wife got it.I remember that afternoon,he had a beer,we browsed through his photo-album of world wide cruises,pictures of waves,wind,rain and shine.

He looked at me with a smile,rather strangely and said,I am glad I met you at this time.I can't thank you enough.

I felt tears in our eyes,no words,no voice heard though our silence said it all.He was dying,he knew that.

To some experiencing death with a dying spouse is as devastating as to others a death without goodbye,sudden unplanned.

How it happen,why it happen remain beyond mind and reason,though a desire of "wish you were here" stays on with those left behind.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

"story of my life"

She was young and had issues of mind and body.I saw that she was bleeding from her forearm,as I walked into examination room.

I was told that she did cut herself.She had a history of that.Her whole arm looked like a scratch board with prior cutting scars.The bleeding from new cut stopped within minutes as I applied dressing.

So you will be getting a scar,don't do that,I told her.
She replied,I don't care,this is the story of my life.

To some living with a scary story give them a role in life,though a short one.Others recreate their story by healing their scars.

I do'nt know her story as there was no story teller.The only question I ponder is how to find those healers amongst ourselves who might cure scars.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

"to give God a second chance"

He was young with no serious health issues,though taking care of him as a patient was not an easy job.

He was admitted with a complaint of severe chest pain piercing through front of his chest,all the way back to his spine.In ordinary situations,just this compliant can be a daring diagnosis.Though not in the case I was dealing with,as all of his tests came back negative.We all felt so relieved and happy as he was not a stranger patient,he was one of us.

I spoke with him afterwards,as what was going on.His test were all good but why he had this pain.He blamed all that to stresses in his life.I suggested that he should rest, keep faith and pray.

He responded that he lost faith since his younger brother died as a young man.I felt sad but still I said it,"give faith a second chance".He looked at me in a way that I still wonder what was that about. I felt a struggle deep down in myself as I told him "to give God a second chance".

I don't know how those words came to me,though I wish he may find faith,as he had it once upon a time.

Some may say that you can't lose something if it was your's before,certainly it include faith.