A day at Cille's

Today, I drove home to spend the day with my fam. Mom, Dad and Joni were on nurse duty for Cille. So, we all hung out at Cille's house on the hill, had lunch, visited with guests and took care of Cille. With emphasis on the 'took care of Cille' portion.

She seemed about the same as the last time I visited a couple of weeks ago, but seems to have lost the ability to perform a few additional skills. She doesn't want to hold her head up and if there is no food in her fingers, she puts her finger in her mouth to eat that. It is so hard to watch a woman who has been so very strong her whole life struggle in this way. Mom ground up her lunch and Joni fed it to her. She would choke on her water almost everytime she took a sip. She's not able to get up or down, or even roll over in bed without help. I watched Mom and Gail master the hoist that hospice brought in. And I heard Cille crying over and over when something hurt or she needed soemething, but she didn't know how to voice it. Again, a woman so strong who is so weak.

She didn't know me. Or any of us, I don't believe. Mom said she's been up for about 72 hours straight, so we were all relieved when she napped for about 30 minutes while we ate our lunch. It's a lot of work, caring for her, but I know that Mom and Gail will look back and be happy they did it. They seem at peace with the commitment they've made to help Cille be comfortable.

One strong woman who's raised, taught, blessed and loved many others.

We love you, Cille.