My dear husband died Thursday, March 6 at 5:50 A.M. Even
though he was under Hospice care and I knew it was coming, the loss has been
devastating. Up until his last two days, he had brief moments of clarity that
brought joy to all who were near. There is a huge emptiness in my life without
him. I’ve been busy planning his beautiful Memorial Service which was held
March 22 at the Inter-Faith Chapel on the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford
Campus; it was standing room only. Immediately following the service, we had a
Celebration of Life Reception at the Bradford Club. Over 150 people attended
this event and there were many heart-felt memories shared. My husband’s niece
and nephew, his deceased brother’s adult children, came from England and Dubai,
plus several of his cousins from Toronto. Of course, his two daughters came
from York, PA and Basel, Switzerland for their father’s farewell ceremonies. My
sister and her husband came from Maryland for a four-day weekend and helped me
make it through that very sad weekend. Also our Air Force grandson and his
young son flew in from S.D. My PA brother and his wife, nephews and wives plus
many cousins and friends attended from distant areas of the state.
Every weekend since his passing I’ve had family with me; the
support has been wonderful. I’m thankful for my large family, more now than
ever. Our granddaughter, her husband and baby from Summerville, S.C. came for
three days that first weekend. She took pictures of many of our photos; after
she went home she made a beautiful slide show. Later I made a playlist from
Spotify of many of the songs we had danced to over the years. The finished
product played continuously at the reception and received many compliments. Her
two younger sisters ravaged through more than 30 photo albums and assembled
three large tri-fold picture boards of their grandfather’s life. I thought,
“how will I ever get all those pictures back in the correct albums?” Then I
asked myself, “Does it matter if I don’t?” I quickly realized it did not. My
brother flew in from Dallas, Texas and spent the second long weekend with me.
My amazing local friends were generous with providing food, cheerful flowers
and visits.
The Funeral Director masterfully loaded my husband’s
Memorial Service on YouTube TV. Just type Widad Bazzoui on the search line and
it pops right up. If you missed the event and are interested, it is a lovely
tribute to a great man.
Not surprisingly, I’ve read little this month. A book I
highly recommend that I read in the previous months and only this week returned
it to the owner is The 36 Hour Day by Nancy L. Mace, MA and Peter V. Rabins MD,
MPH. Nonfiction. Published by John Hopkins Press. It was loaned to me last
summer and I procrastinated reading it until it was almost too late to help me.
The central idea underlying this book is that much can be done to improve the
lives of people with dementia and those caring for them - remains the same.
This book is the definitive dementia care guide. The 36 Hour Day is the gold
standard for guidance and support in caring for someone with Alzheimer’s
Disease.
Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate. Historical fiction. 2024. Two
parallel stories told in alternating chapters requires careful reading. In 1990
a single mom park ranger with her young son is assigned to southwest Oklahoma
discovers a hidden burial site with remains of three children. She is cautioned
to leave the burial site be and concentrate on her new job. The Choctaw Tribal
Police are faced with many challenges as the oil rich Indians are being
challenged on every side by wolves in sheep’s clothing trying to cheat them out
of their land. The other component of this story is the 1902 story of two
little girls who flee their abusive step-father and face the perils of
surviving Oklahoma wilderness. They depend on begging, foraging through
garbage, hard work and their quick wits. It started slow for me but to be fair
my attention was hardly on reading this month. It is my book club’s choice for
April. At the end the of the novel, the author stated that the descendants of
those who profited by cheating and stealing from the rightful owners of the
land, became their future political leaders.
I have dropped cable tv and stream now, that’s primarily
what I watched before anyway. I’m hooked on 1923 but the new season has become
a bit disappointing so far. I apologize for sending another blog in my email
format. I have not had time to set up the new blog server yet.
Till next time, keep reading my friends.
Later, Ann