A good friend is going through a rough phase with her mother’s illness. There are a multitude of complications that has led them down a path of no recovery. I check in on her from time to time, but I have not been brave enough to visit her and meet her Mom. I don’t know where to find the courage from. Perhaps I will, after I grow up a little older this week.

One of the things that I regret the most is not being given an opportunity to keep my Dad longer. It was a sudden departure. And it gave us no time to even respond. He was gone by the time, my Mom came home after her daily evening walk. He was there before she left, and he was gone, when she came back. He even made his last cup of tea.

I don’t know what to wish. That if he had given us an opportunity, we could have kept him longer, because we are selfish and needed him around us. Or be happy that he did not have to suffer the weeks and months and sometimes years of illness. I know we don’t get to pick our departure. But if I could, I’d pick my Dad’s way.

I am trying to tell my friend to detach. We all know the end is near. She has done what she could, and even more. But I know that if I was in her situation, I’d also try till the very end. In this case, learning from others does not quite apply. And perhaps my advice to my friend is preponing the moment she has to go through anyways. We all have to go through it. I wish more people realized that soon enough in their lives.

Anyways, I am praying for my friend. Since I am not sure praying for her Mom is going to help anymore. I know she is a fighter, but where things stand, we are all hoping for a miracle.

My friend is still in need of help, and if you can please help her pay for the medical expenses. She is paying through her nose for all the hospital and hospice bills since her parents were visiting US when her mother was diagnosed with cancer, and they don’t have insurance. It’s been a long and arduous journey for my friend and her family. May be her Mom will be in a happier place if she lets her go. It’s hard, but the only way forward.