Page 3 - Hawaii Island MidWeek - Jan 4, 2023

with Juliet Lee
Since my mother had been living alone in Hilo, I flew from Ho-
With a diagnosis of pan- creatic cancer, I felt it my responsibility to take care of her. With trepidation and help from my sturdy husband, I undertook this duty. Was I uptothetask?WouldIdoa good job?
The author says that guiding her mother through the last year of her life was a great privilege, and her mom’s bravery during that time inspired her to be less afraid of facing her own death.
nolulu as often as I could — usually on Friday afternoons after work. My mother would pick me up at the airport and we would holoholo before going to her home. One day, she didn’t show up. I called and called without success. I finally caught a cab and found her sprawled on the floor un- able to get up. The ambulance came and took her to the hos-
Her last months with us turned out to be delightful, for she remained joyful de- spite her discomfort. She loved to watch Japanese and Bing Crosby movies and sang along with him on TV. She also loved our outings around O‘ahu between treatments, and ate anything she wanted when able. In turn, I learned much about her life through
her wonderful stories. Our talks and her bravery bur- nished all the rough edges of our relationship that may have remained. We became good friends.
The Gift Of Responsibility
“Responsibility is the possibility of opportunity culminating in inevitable fulfillment.” — Sri Chinmoy
pital with her imploring: “No sirens please.”
us. I was saddened by the winding down of her life; although not saying much, she often patted my hand to indicate that everything would be all right. Initially, afraid of being responsible for her care, I learned that guiding her through the last year of her life had been a great privilege. I am filled with gratitude for that. Her gift of bravery and love has made me less afraid of hav- ing to face my own aging and death.
Juliet Lee is a writer in- spired by Shin Buddhism.
Chasing The Light is pro- duced by Lynne Johnson and Robin Stephens Rohr.
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Throughout her illness, she tried not to burden
JANUARY 4, 2023
HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK 3
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