Loss
I have friends, some very close and some distant, who have been part of my blogging experience for twelve-plus years I’ve been doing it here. Some of them, I see, are talking about what happened yesterday, and others are wondering.
The love of my life, my lifemate for decades the Lady Anne, passed away yesterday of a massive heart attack. We had enjoyed a very nice dinner at a local restaurant Wednesday evening, but later that night she seemed clobbered by food poisoning. (I was too, but not hit nearly as hard.) Even 36 hours later, she was still struggling with it, and by this time massively dehydrated and weakened by not have eaten in that time. She was in her sitting room upstairs, and called down asking for her iPad to be brought up. I did, and sat with her a little while worried at her continued struggle with something that is usually over in a day or less.
And then the attack came - the only warning was her saying that she felt suddenly dizzy. I called 9-1-1 (why is this the only number that Siri refuses to dial?) and got things rolling. Her breaths were more than a minute apart. I began CPR while the ambulance was on the way, and they took over, working on her for more than half an hour. Nine people arrived, between ambulance crews, fire crew, and two squad cars of police. As shaken as I was, I appreciated how hard they were working - four people were directly administering aid, with another coordinating on the radio and law enforcement downstairs.
It was not enough. They got enough of a pulse to transport her, but could not keep it going. It took an hour for me to learn this, as they continued to work on her en route and in the hospital.
And now she’s gone. I am at a loss. Three days ago, we were laughing with friends over an excellent dinner. We looked forward to the future, to new projects, to new beginnings, and even to growing old together. We’d been fortunate; we had very few medical difficulties and were still tremendously enjoying life. And now she’s gone.
I don’t generally talk about our personal lives here. But there is no “our personal lives” … not anymore. She was everything to me. She was the foundation of my enjoyment of life, the stimulant for clearer thought, the encourager of better performance, and the motivation to enjoy all things as they came. But I am struggling with this.
Many of you knew her. You knew what a treasure she was, charming and witty and insightful and pragmatic all at once. And full of love, which washed over me every day. I returned it as well as I could. I know she’d want better from me than I am able to do now. I need a little time, and know that she was always so very patient with me
Years ago, I wrote this for her - she deserves celebration:
Anne Versery
Some think marriage can make your life worse
Than a ride in the back of a hearse
I am happy to say
That it isn’t that way
While she brings the Anne, I’ll bring the verse:
For today we again celebrate
(Which we do rather often of late)
That our time as a pair
Makes for wonderful fare
And 11 July is the date!
We’ve been married for twenty-one years
And each time the occasion appears
I’m delighted and proud
And will say it out loud
Lady_Anne is worth all of these cheers!
She is crafty, and clever, and wise
And has “expert debugger”-class eyes
And a heart full of love
(Which fits me like a glove)
And is ever a happy surprise.
She is generous, bold, and refined
And as life-mate and partner, I find
That I’ve been really blessed
And by luck, have the best
It’s a wonderment, still, to my mind.
We have traveled to countries afar
And gone all over this one by car
We see people, and sights
Brilliant days, mellow nights
And we’re still up to follow a star
Or to follow a storm or a thought
We’ll go chase it, though we’re sometimes caught
Lightning flashes arrive?
Then we’re up for a drive
Where she is - that’s the very best spot!
We’ve faced challenges, troubles, and strife
And survived them all, still loving life
As to how this is done,
There’s a secret - just one
I’ve got this wondrous gal for a wife!
So here’s to my fair wife
Lady_Anne
From her loving and quite happy man
How ’bout 21 more?
That will even the score
And we’ll reach the next stage of our plan.
===|==============/ Keith DeHavelle