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Okay...I promised an update on my best friend's trip to South Africa,
so without further adieu...here's Diana sticking her toe in the Indian Ocean! (pretty impressive, huh?)


Molweni!

Well, I feel just like a celebrity. You know: Where in the world's Matt Lauer and Diana Black!

Mary's so right. The trip to South Africa was life-altering. For example, I didn't have a sinus infection when I left, but I do now...

No, wait. Maybe there is something a bit more profound to glean from the experience.

Like how courageous and resourceful people can be after hearing a life-altering diagnosis or forcibly removed from their homes, their neighborhoods and required to live in "houses" pieced together with metal scraps and discarded window frames.

How people can rise above wrongful imprisonment and continue to struggle against injustices to humankind.

How strong women are, and how much we are alike regardless of cultural differences.

And how everyone loves to laugh. I believe it was Victor Borge who said, "The shortest distance between two people is a smile."

The opportunity to make this trip and share it with Mary's blogger buddies sure makes me smile.

Okay, I think this is where I'm supposed to say how wonderful she is (right, Mary?), and how without her, I would be nothing. That she has made me everything I am, the woman among women I model myself after as should every other woman in the universe. (Did I forget anything? Oh, yeah...) And she's beautiful and a wonderful writer and my bestest bud. (Those last comments? Right from my heart.)

So thanks, Mary, and all of you who expressed an interest in my little jaunt. May each of you succeed with your own individual "trip of a lifetime." Be it that trek to the mailbox with your first manuscript or to a foreign corner of your imagination and/or the earth.

Hamba kakuhle (Xhosa for "go well"),
Diana

Want more pictures? Here's the link to Diana's amazing blog. You'll see amazing pictures of scenery, Diana's "sista sojourners," lions, native birds, and you'll even (almost) see a picture of a giraffe!

South African Sojourn

Krugersdorp

I'm incredibly proud of my best friend. She is, as we speak, on her way to South Africa. The trip is in connection with her former employer, Alive Hospice, Nashville, TN. Diana worked at Alive for 7 years until she moved to Georgia just over a year ago.

She became aware of the wonderful work that Hospice does when her dad became ill and needed assistance. Diana, her sister, and Hospice and Palliative Care of Southern Indiana helped make a difficult situation, bearable. She vowed to "give back" and she did; first by volunteering at Alive and then by becoming a full-time, valued employee.

But, back to the trip. Alive has a Sister Hospice in Krugersdorp. They have, through the years, raised money to send much-needed supplies to South Africa. Diana was supposed to go last year but it conflicted with her move to Georgia. This trip, as last year's, organized by Naomi Tutu, daughter of Desmond Tutu, will help foster even more good will between the two non-profit care facilities.

Diana should be arriving in Capetown in about three hours, after a 22-hour flight! She'll then travel to Johannasburg and then on to Hospice in the West, located in Krugersdorp, to visit with the staff.

Some side-trips include visiting the Krugersdorp Game Preserve, and touring Robben Island Prison, "home" to Nelson Mandella for much of his life sentence. He was finally released in 1990. I'm sure that trip will be a very emotional experience.

Anyway, I'm just so proud of her! At a time when many people our age are choosing to slow down a bit (I'm not judging. You're earned it!), Diana is exploring the world. And, not the world of fine Paris café's, or Greek ruins, or Bahamian white-sand beaches. She's exploring a part of the world that most of us know nothing about. She is reaching far beyond her "element." I applaud her for taking this trip of a lifetime.

So, tell me. How far would you venture from your "element?"

Cynthia's Attic

Hello My Dear Blog Friends:

I thought I would steal a moment just to stop in and say hi and to let you know that I'm still lurking.

My mom is here at my home, on hospice. She's in the last stages of this hideous disease and most likely won't be around too much longer. Her hospice nurse was here today, which is very comforting for me. I absolutely love him. He's so compassionate and kind.

I am hoping to grab a tiny bit of normalcy along the way. Maybe a blog here and there or a picture of my garden every once in awhile. At this point, all I can do is take one day at a time.

I miss my predictible mornings, sitting at the computer savouring a cup of coffee. I much prefer that to changing adult diapers, but alas, my immediate calling is unpleasant and nightmarish and surreal. I still "drink" my 2 morning coffees, but savouring isn't part of it.

So...I'm still here, trying desperately not to be bitter and angry, but at times, I'm failing. I've done this already with my dad, only 4 -1/2 years ago. I witnessed his last breath and I'm still whirling from that. Most importantly is keeping my mom comfortable and pain free. I can absolutely step up and be everything that she needs me to be, but inside, I feel ugly.

Until The Next Time:
Kim
Garden Painter Art

There is no easy way to face death and their are no easy answers for how to prepare. Yet, Drs. Joanne Lynn and Joan Harrold, in their book Handbook for Mortals: Guidance for People Facing Serious Illness provide equal measures of practical information and gentle insight. Their book prepares readers for the decisions they will need to face, where to look for help, how to ease pain and other symptoms, what to expect with specific diseases, and how the health-care system operates. It also provides advice on how to come to terms with dying. In the passage below the authors reflect on a common mistake, forcing your loved ones to eat. Be sure to check back later today for another excerpt. (more…)

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