valarltd | From love into love

I got the call today, the one I've been expecting for a while now.

Mom came through cataract surgery fine. She's scheduled to have the other eye done in three weeks.

And the week after that, she starts leukemia treatment.

This is not expected to cause remission, much less cure her. She is not a candidate for a bone marrow transplant. This is just to reduce the frequency of blood transfusions. The Cancer Center says they'll give it a year.

Mom's fairly zen about it. There's a lot she still wants to do, and she plans to accomplish as much of it as she can. But there are other things she doubts she'll get a chance to do, like see all the grandkids graduate and marry and maybe even see a great-grandbaby. She has her church and she has my sister there and me as far as the telephone.

I am taking it well. A little fragile, but I'll be okay. Death is one more step on the Journey. And it will be hard on those of us left who will miss her. But we will make the passing as easy as possible, and she will go from love into love.

And I have a feeling I'll be reading a lot of this:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/10232245/JRR-Tolkien-Leaf-by-Niggle

LEAF BY NIGGLE
J. R. R. TOLKIEN

THERE was once a little man called Niggle, who had a long journey to make. He did not want to
go, indeed the whole idea was distasteful to him; but he could not get out of it. He knew he would have to start some time, but he did not hurry with his preparations.

....