I'm trying hard here not to focus on the last few months of Janet's time with us. Not to say that it was nothing but misery-- she may have had pain, but we also smiled a lot together. But it's far too easy to make the end of things the totality, and I'm trying to avoid that.
That said, I came across this on the music stand today. I don't have the melody, but I think I can get that from the music therapy folks at the hospital. They pretty much jammed in Janet's room every afternoon, and I think they were part of the making of this one.
If it's true that endings aren't the everything, they're still part of the overall composition. Reading this, it can sound a tad testy, but I know what she was trying to say. Everyone wanted so hard to do something, even when there was nothing that could be done. Janet didn't need tales of courage. She had enough for a battalion. She just wanted to cling to what mattered most to her-- the love and companionship of friends and family. So, for Janet, I'll pass on what she wrote in the hospital in that last month:
JANET'S SONG
When you visit me
And know what to say,
Don't bring me your survivors
I have my own story.
No Reader's Digest
Or Chicken Soup
Don't want to hear your pep talk
What I want is your love and support
That's all I need
Be my friend
And just sit for a while
That's enough distraction
For me
No comments:
Post a Comment