today's installment is in memory
of mr. moss' sitter, "jean",
who died earlier this week.
~@~@~@~@~@~
i stopped by mosses' house that summer afternoon to visit and to let him know that katherine and i were going to be out of town the following week. jean met me at the door and welcomed me. she asked if i'd like something to drink as she was preparing mosses his afternoon toddie. i thanked her for asking and told her i'd love a diet coke.
then i joined mosses in his den for drinks and refreshments.
a few minutes later, jean popped around the corner and said that she was going to leave for the day and that mosses' afternoon sitter, marie, would be there soon. i told her i would stay and visit until marie arrived.
oddly, while mosses and i were talking, the topic of death and dying arose. mosses commented that if he lay dying he wanted the doctors to shock him til he glowed!!! (he was referring to the use of defibrillator paddles.) we giggled.
i got really tickled because my grandmother had always said the same thing about herself.
~@~@~@~@~@~
the following afternoon... as i was packing for our trip, the phone rang. i answered: it was jean. "dani, mr. moss is on his way to the hospital!" before i could say a word, she continued, "he collapsed this afternoon in the hallway. he wasn't responsive. when the ambulance arrived they had to intubate him!!! it doesn't look good. i just knew you would want to know."
i thanked her for calling and told her that i was on my way to the hospital.
when i arrived at the hospital, mr. moss' niece, susie, was already there. she took me to the room where he was. mosses was lying there shirtless and shaking with probes all over his body. i walked over next to him, said his name, and told him i was there. he opened his eyes and looked at me.
when he did, i asked him if he was cold (i knew he was). he shook his head that he was. so, i asked the nurse to please bring him a blanket and another pillow. quickly, she did so. i covered him up and put another pillow under his head. i stood there with him and told him that everything was going to be alright.
soon, the er doctor came in and said that they were going to transfer mosses to intensive care. he asked that someone accompany him to the icu floor. susie told me to go on with him. i did. i held his hand as they wheeled him down the hall, into the elevator, and up to the icu. when we arrived at the unit, the transportation team told me that i would have to wait in the waiting area until they could get him in his room and settled.
i kissed mosses' hand and placed it under his blanket. i then kissed his cheek and told him i loved him and reassured him.
by the time i arrived at the waiting area, susie, her cousins, jean, and mosses' power of attorney were already there. they were discussing the fact that mr. moss should have not been intubated and placed on a ventilator as he had signed a dnr (do not resuscitate) document.
i bypassed that conversation, went into the waiting area, and sat down in total disbelief. i knew he wasn't ready to die... i knew i wasn't ready to lose him.
~@~@~@~@~@~
(to be continued...)
love and God's blessings,
dani xx
ps you will find earlier entries in ascending order on my side bar entitled, "our love story":)
i've been away for so long, i am having trouble trying to figure out how to get caught up with everyone:? so, i think i shall start with all your current posts. if there is something BIG i've missed, please let me know in your comments:) i will gladly go back and read more!
love and God's blessings,
dani xx
now.
regardless of our opinions regarding the man,
michael jackson made his mark on our world.
love and God's blessings,
dani xx
when the 4th of july rolls around, i find myself thinking even more about the mosses than usual. it was 41 years ago this past saturday that they lost their beloved son, michael...
when they were living i always tried to do something a little special to brighten an otherwise sad day for my loves.
~@~@~@~@~@~
in the summer of 1988, after spending most of that independence day in the pool with friends, i showered, dressed, and made a batch of chocolate chip cookies to take to the mosses on the court.
when i arrived, mrs. moss greeted me at the door with a hug, and i gave her a kiss on the cheek. i walked in and sat the plate of cookies down on the counter in her kitchen and made my way into their den where mr. moss was sitting drinking his before-dinner-bourbon and coke. "well, bless your heart, dani," he said as he arose to greet and give me a hug. "sit down here and visit with us."
mrs. moss had detoured through the kitchen behind me to stir the soup she was making for their evening meal. "would you like something to drink, dani?" she offered in her gravelly sophisticated voice.
"no, thank you," i replied.
"george," she said as she entered the den to join us, "dani, brought us some home-made chocolate chip cookies." she turned toward me, smiled crinkling her sweet little nose, and thanked me again.
mr. moss looked at me over his high-ball glass and straw, and after swallowing the sip he'd taken, he added, "well, that was mighty nice of you, dani. that was mighty nice."
~@~@~@~@~@~
not much had changed in the moss' home after mike had died. his bedroom was the same as he had left it, many photos of 'young mike' adorned the walls throughout their home. there was a rather large portrait of mike moss that hung on their den wall.
mike had been a very handsome young man. joe martin, a local photographer had captured mike in the prime of his youth... dark hair, complexion, and eyes (his eyes seemed to twinkle), and a perfect smile. mike was wearing a crisp white oxford shirt and a pale blue cardigan that day.
i suppose that was the way the mosses remembered mike,
forever young...
frozen in time.
~@~@~@~@~@~
after a bit of smalltalk, mrs. moss commented that mike had been gone for 20 years. on one hand, she said it seemed like a life-time; but, on the other hand, it seemed like it had been just yesterday that she had watched him play in the dirt pile in the back yard of their house on the court as the house had been being built. at that, mr. moss somberly shook his head and added that mike had been the best son for which the couple could have ever asked...
"a true joy!"
my heart ached for them.
~@~@~@~@~@~
george michael moss was not the only victim of that tragedy. his friend, mike hennesy, was also in the car that ill-fated night...
neither of the two survived the crash.
~@~@~@~@~@~
as the mosses were recalling memories of mike and sharing their stories, i saw a toddler run past the mosses large front window, which over-looked the river. then i saw another running after the first. about that time, mrs. moss looked over to see a third little girl and a man following along behind the girls.
mrs. moss looked puzzled, "who do you suppose that is, george?"
"well, golly muggins," mr. moss replied. "i have no idea?" the three of us arose from our seats and walked toward the front door and out on their front porch.
the young father offered his hand for mr. moss to shake. as he did so, he explained that he was mike hennesy's brother, hugh, and that the three little girls were his daughters.
after introductions, i stood among the three as they shared their memories.
i just listened.
~@~@~@~@~@~
standing outside a house where life had stood seemingly still, i felt an odd kindredship with hugh hennesy that day. we were proof that life had, indeed, continued to "go on".
~@~@~@~@~@~
(to be continued...)
love and God's blessings,
dani xx
ps you will find earlier entries in ascending order on my side bar entitled, "our love story":)
i am with my dad's four sisters...
we range in ages 70 to 40:)
love and God's blessings,
dani xx
