Marian
This evening I took my violin over to sit with Great-Aunt Mary and Grammy. We were gathered around Great-Aunt Marian's bed, talking quietly and singing to her. She has hospice, and they said she won't eat anymore. Extended family is coming, and we will try to keep people visiting as much as possible so she is not alone much. I am not sure what I would want - I think I'd want some privacy and silence when I needed to sleep. But maybe not. Maybe I'd want to just never be alone. It's hard to know. Yeah, I don't think I'd want to be alone. On the other hand, if you need silence and want to sleep, and if everyone is talking and staring at you and there's nothing you can do about it..... that has to be so frustrating.
I played songs on my violin that she taught me when I was a teenager. And I played songs Mom told me Great-Grandma used to sing to her children and grandchildren (including Marian, I am sure). I am hoping that hearing songs (which she was humming even after she didn't remember who she was or who we were) will comfort her and give her a calming and secure feeling along with her Morphine dreams. She no longer responds positively to human contact (and hasn't allowed it for quite some time now), and she is shocked by the feeling of water while washing up..... but I am just hoping and hoping that musical patterns are soothing, even if she can't remember the actual melodies anymore. Her breathing did slow down a bit as if she was trying to listen while I played. And her jaw moved once. And her foot moved once.
I'll go again tomorrow, for sure. She is so beautiful, and I love her.
I played songs on my violin that she taught me when I was a teenager. And I played songs Mom told me Great-Grandma used to sing to her children and grandchildren (including Marian, I am sure). I am hoping that hearing songs (which she was humming even after she didn't remember who she was or who we were) will comfort her and give her a calming and secure feeling along with her Morphine dreams. She no longer responds positively to human contact (and hasn't allowed it for quite some time now), and she is shocked by the feeling of water while washing up..... but I am just hoping and hoping that musical patterns are soothing, even if she can't remember the actual melodies anymore. Her breathing did slow down a bit as if she was trying to listen while I played. And her jaw moved once. And her foot moved once.
I'll go again tomorrow, for sure. She is so beautiful, and I love her.