To sleep, perchance to dream..

[speakfire]

Well last night was the visitation for my husband's grandma, and it was surprisingly pleasant. As I said in another post, things had gotten almost nasty regarding life support and such during those last few days while she was in the hospital, but thank goodness, none of that emnity was showing either at the visitation last night, or at the funeral

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[speakfire]

You know, I think everyone might have felt more... stricken by her death had she not been in the hospital on a respirator for the past two months. Her decline in health was slow, but it was there, so her death was not a surprise the way that a heart attack in her home might have been. My own grandmother passed away in June (she died at home in her sleep of a stroke), and that death was a lot harder, not just because she was my grandmother, but because the death was more surprising and unexpected.

But as you say, neither was there a sense that her life had been cut short, if that makes sense. I'm glad (if one can be glad for such a thing) that my own grandmother was able to die peacefully at home though, and did not pass away after months of being confined to a hospital.

The pastor at the ceremony today read the passage from the bible, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 which is very familiar to most of us.. "For everything there is a time, and a season to every purpose under heaven.. a time to be born, and a time to die..." It was an appropriate passage.

[citosol]

"I'm glad (if one can be glad for such a thing) that my own grandmother was able to die peacefully at home though, and did not pass away after months of being confined to a hospital."

I had the same thoughts.
At the beginning I felt selfish though: if he was here, suffering, I would suffer too and the sudden death had removed that possibility so I didn't suffer for long long time with him. But then I thought: I suffered anyway!
So I think that both the cases are good and bad...I don't know if I'm understandable...
Unexpected death? You are surprised and you suffer for not having more time, and you wanted more time
Slow decline? You suffer for your dear, it's a dripping, you pray for the death to come (in a good way I mean...) and you're relieved when the pain ends

it's really a mystery...we have only to keep the faith.