The wake tonight
I had been hoping, oddly enough, for an open casket wake. I felt like seeing her body without her in it would ... give some closure, I guess. She had chosen to be cremated, so that was not an option, obviously.
I found out from another coworker that one of the books on death and dying that I had given her (called Final Gifts) really ended up being a help for her. She and her daughter had been reading it together, and took some ideas from it to make sure she was able to choose her circumstances in which to die. I'm glad. I felt so weird about giving her those books. Like I was giving up on her or something, but I know she didn't take it that way. From conversations we had had, I think she was just relieved I wasn't arguing with her that no, she was really going to live lots and lots longer, as I gather several others had been doing.
It all still seems kind of unreal.
I found out from another coworker that one of the books on death and dying that I had given her (called Final Gifts) really ended up being a help for her. She and her daughter had been reading it together, and took some ideas from it to make sure she was able to choose her circumstances in which to die. I'm glad. I felt so weird about giving her those books. Like I was giving up on her or something, but I know she didn't take it that way. From conversations we had had, I think she was just relieved I wasn't arguing with her that no, she was really going to live lots and lots longer, as I gather several others had been doing.
It all still seems kind of unreal.