This is the hospice that came to support Mary in her transition from this life. They provided the physician requirements for her not to have any pain in her last days and hours. They provided nursing on-call. They provided bathing and bed care. They returned in the middle of the night to assist in preparing her for her last ride to the funeral home.
We were very blessed that they came and offered they support for no charge.
Hey Clara;
I have a card for you to start off the year. I will attach the video shortly. In the meantime, I want you to hear this song by James Taylor that I am learning to play on my guitar for you. Just so you know, I am always here for you and look forward to hearing about all the things you are learning about in your young age. Much Love, Opa
Hi Mary & Clara;
Here is another donation in your name to the hospice that looked after your care in your last few days.
Hospice Receipt Mary Boleyn Foundation Dec 2018
I am in the process of writing a song for Mary from her DAD. I want to get what I have so far down, just in case.
Seems like so long ago,
Thirty-three years so so.
You came and truly rocked my world.
You were Daddy’s Delight.
A smile that Lit the night.
You gave me purpose and a dream.
Now I miss you sometimes more than I can bear,
It makes me turn to see if you’re not there.
I hear your voice calling out for Daddy,
Cause as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be
Jul 19
I have thought a lot about what went through Mary B’s mind before she came to Windy Heron. The week before she came, did she say goodbye to people, Bill, Clara, her mom? Did she have any idea that she was so close to making the transition?
The third day she was here, she suddenly asked me. Do you know that feeling that hits you after you have had a car accident and your adrenalin stops when you get home and you are totally exhausted and your guards are all down? I said that I did know that feeling, having had several serious car accidents in my life. She said, that’s how I feel here today. That’s all she said.
The next day we were sitting quietly, when Mary B started to cry. I asked her what was going on, could she tell me? She said, I feel it in my gut that I am never going to leave here. I held her tight and we cuddled. I tried not to cry and just be there for her and her needs. How hard was that?
One of her questions was; Are you disappointed in me? I asked, in what way? She said in terms of how I have dealt with my CF? I immediately hugged her and told her how proud I was of her and how she had grown up knowing she had CF and all the great things she did with her life and all she had done with Clara. I told her I didn’t think I could have done as well as she had, and she was an example to so many other people and her friends for her strength and laughter and joy for life.
Mary B sayings:
If you can’t breathe, nothing else much matters.
Everybody is just doing the best they can.
Jul 17
A year ago, today, Mary and I watched TV but mostly talked, or I talked, and she listened. She told me about the book she wanted to have read at her funeral, Oh, the Places You’ll Go, by Dr. Seuss. I told her I would get it and read it to her. She thought I would order it and it would be delivered. I immediately bought in on Kindle and read it to her. I read that book to her many, many times. Most of the time, she was sleeping but I know she heard my voice. It reminded me of reading to her as a young child. I read to her every night before she went to sleep.
I also read every night to Clara when she would come to visit overnight. Clara loved to be read to.
One year ago, today, Mary M. went to work, and I stayed close to Mary B. Mary got very irritated when she could not find her O2 calibrator. We looked through all her luggage and she got more frightened that she had forgotten it. I went to Walmart to get a replacement and raced back to the house. Fortunately, I bought the same kind that she had in Canada. Whew! Crisis averted.
Mary and I spent time just talking, watching movies. I think we watched Labyrinth with David Bowie that day. I reminded her of the video of her watching the movie at St. David St in Elora with her little rocking chair.
It is coming up to the first anniversary of Mary’s passing with me at the Windy Heron House. Although the memories from a year ago leave a hollow feeling in my stomach, I want to honor Mary’s wishes for her transition to continue to be a celebration of her life.
Prior to her arriving July 16, 2017, we had talked about the site I had set up for her called maryboleyn.commemoratemylife.me. During the first couple of days, I worked on it while lying with my laptop beside her in the big bed so we could talk about so many things.
Mary was very excited about the creation of maryboleyn.commemoratemylife.me. She was able to see the opening page for that website. She was really excited about having a place where Clara could discover things about her mom sometime in the future so that she wouldn’t be forgotten. She loved that I used the picture of her and Clara’s hands together as the front page.
