Can I call my mom? She would know.
Monday, October 18, 2010 at 9:09PM There are situations in life that we never want to address. We don't even want to think about them. Sometimes...we think about them a little bit; and then we feel very grown-up and responsible.
But we retreat. Swiftly and as completely as we are able.
And then sometimes, the choice is taken away from us.
My dear friend Stasa's mother passed away over the weekend. The phone call came in the middle of the night (why is it always the middle of the night?). And suddenly, Stasa had to answer questions that, as prepared as she may have been, she was not ready to answer. She kept wanting to call her mom and ask. And then she remembered.
The hospital was no help. How can this be? How can there be no processes in place; no one on staff who knows how to proceed when the answer to every question is, "I don't know"?
Stasa and I puzzled over this, late at night, on the phone. Don't they have a communications plan for these contingencies? We laughed a little at this. Stasa and I are all about contingency planning and the role of communications in said planning.
For now I'm just sad for my friend. And proud of her, too. The pride is nothing new; I've been proud of her for years. The sadness is tough to take. She won't like that.
But, as she is one of the loyal six who reads this space, she'll just have to accept it. Sometimes the choice is taken away from us.
Reader Comments (1)
As a mother and wife and working woman, your own mother is the only person who takes care of you, while you are busy taking care of everyone and everything else. That can't be replaced. I am so sorry for your loss, Stasa.