After all the almost party type atmosphere yesterday and this morning, it was time for us to honor another part of who Jeff is. That is the part of him that craves silence. All his life Jeff has enjoyed the company of others, but usually preferred one on one conversations. When our children's friends came over, for the most part after the wrestling matches were over, he enjoyed going in the other room and just listening to their bantering and laughter. That is what is has been like since yesterday morning.
Jeff has just layed very quietly enjoying the comings and goings of all the people. But this afternoon, both Charla and I got a very distinct impression he was done with the noise and really wanted some peace and quiet.
As you can probably tell, he is still hanging on. We don't know how long this process will take. Just like the labor and delivery of a child, it will happen in it's own time.
Seth got here this afternoon. It was good to see a very satisfied look on Jeff's face as all of his children were in his room just being.
Jeff's breathing is irregular but his vitals are still strong. The hospice nurse gave us some interesting insight yesterday. She has worked with other AIDS patients and has seen a much different scenario than what we are experiencing here. She told us how fortunate we are that Jeff is in no pain. He does not have debilitating diahrea. As far as the death process itself goes, it is very gentle and quiet. I see this as a tender mercy of the Lord.
Jeff seems to want to savor every last minute he has with his family. He has not wanted to close his eyes all day long. I think he knows that when he finally lets go and allows his spirit it's freedom, there is no turning back. So he is holding on to each precious moment. We do not feel a need to rush him and are just giving him the quiet he needs right now so that he can rest in peace until he takes that final step into his future.
We will see what tomorrow brings but for now I too am going to try to get some rest. I am very much at peace with the way everything is happening. It is a sacred, beautiful time for our family. Thank you for joining us.
Chris
No comments:
Post a Comment