Well time finally ran out. [View all]

She had an iron constitution and entered her last year of life 10 years ago at the age of 86.

She was one of those strong willed women from the depression that wasn't going to let her body tell her when she was going to come or go.

A few years ago when she agonized about her condition (blind and bed ridden and in constant pain) her conscious mind joined her body in wanting to end the ordeal.

Her iron constitution wasn't going to let either her body or her mind tell her when she was going to come or go either and she continued on eating a few bites of ice cream a day and a couple of months ago she entered into her last "24 hours".

The doctors however never knew her like we did. When she stopped eating a week ago and they told us to start making final arrangements we knew that we still had plenty of time.

A month ago we took our Golden Retriever and put him to sleep. It took 2 minutes and it was so gentle.

I can still hear my mother coming home from visiting a cousin who lingered the same way she did. This was 40 years ago.

She made us all promise to never let her linger like that.

She hated it. We all agreed and we all promised but there was nothing we could do.

If there was it was doubtful that anyone would have done anything, we learned in childhood that you never argued with her constitution.

She was a stern and distant mother and yet to her friends was a great and supportive friend. We could never understand the dichotomy and all of her friends thought she was the model mother. She proved it by ouliving all of her friends. Even her care giver grew old and needed a care giver.

It was a different time and they just don't make them like that anymore.