Last times

Patsy talked about her last real meal.  The evening before going to the hospital with abdominal pain and vomiting, she enjoyed a home-cooked meal at her niece’s, complete with vegetables picked from the garden that day.  After that evening, and for the 10 weeks until her death, she never had another home-cooked meal, or another […]

Patsy’s Prayer

This is the prayer used at Patsy’s graveside service.  She smiled and approved of it as Judy and I were planning her service with her.   May the sun bring you new energies by day. May the moon softly restore you by night. May the rain wash away any worries you may have. May gentle […]

Eulogy for Patsy

This is the eulogy I delivered at the funeral of my mother-in-law, Patsy Wilcoxen. When I have attended funerals of teenagers and young adults, there is always a sense of tragedy that life was cut short, so much life was left unlived.  It’s unusual to have those same feelings about someone who has lived almost […]

Patsy’s Graveside Service

Reflections of Patsy Jim Powell We are here, together, taking the next step on our journey, learning to live with our grief.  This is a significant step, for we are literally and symbolically putting Patsy to rest, marking a place where we are able to return and remember.  It’s significant that within a few feet […]

The world gets smaller

Being with Patsy on a daily basis during her declining health, I was struck in a new way by an old thought.  We spend much of our adult lives working to expand our world.  The expansion begins slowly at birth, but once we achieve a certain level of adolescent independence, the expansion gets real traction.  […]