Looks like I was not really missed at all. I am back, nonetheless, and I hope to be able to write some interesting articles in the coming months. I also hope to get your feedback. As those of you know who read my last article, my mother died less than a month ago. I do not want to talk about death, but rather, life.

My mother was under the care of a hospice program during her last month. I never knew much about hospices until I had to deal with this. My cousins did not have a lot of good to say about hospices, but I have nothing but high praise for them. To learn about hospices, you can use this Web site.

The hospice came in to my mother’s life in order to keep her pain free and give her a gift. A gift, you say? She was dying. What gift could they give her? They showed her she had the gift of time. I also learned about that gift, too. When you have a terminal illness, you can feel sorry for yourself and die or you can take care of all your personal business and die with dignity and ease others’ pain of the loss. My mother was able to do the things she needed and say many of the things she wanted to say, as well. I also got to say a proper goodbye. We had a lot of laughs and tears. It was a good time.

We have all heard the nightmares about nursing homes. Let me tell you there are some very good nursing homes out there. My mother spent her last month in Bluffton, Ohio at the Mennonite Memorial Home. This nursing home has the most caring and loving bunch of folks you will ever meet. From the nurses to the administrators to the people who clean the rooms and take the trays, they were all very professional and caring people. If you or a loved one are in that area of Ohio and need 24 hour care, I can tell you that you can get that care there without any worries at all.

Do you have any good hospice stories? Do you have any recommendations for nursing homes? Please pass them along if you do. Take care of yourself and remember that time is precious.