And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest

copyright 2005 Dale Hansen - no reproduction without permission

My wife and I have two very dear friends – sisters – whose mother passed away yesterday morning. She’d gone to the hospital for a few test, related mostly to a leg injury and the doctors discovered the blood pressure in her lungs was so high it was straining her heart and her blood was not getting oxygen.

That was about a week ago. The sisters were told that her mother had maybe a month left of life, and so they brought her home, allowing her to die in the privacy of her room and the warmth of her family.

I’d only recently come to know this grand woman. I’d not the opportunity to know her long, and I’d not the foresight to know her well. The memories I carry of her are fleeting and superficial; they cannot begin to broach the accumulated depth of 81 years of family, toil, heartbreak, and joy.

I will remember her smile, though. A warm and honest, open and happy smile she had. Her genuine joy to see you, never mind how long or brief it had been since the last visit, was like a warm fire on a chilly night.

I saw her rarely, I knew her almost not at all, but the loss of that bright smile has made the world just a little grayer, and I will miss it.

And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest
– Hamlet Act 5 Scene 2