I received an e-mail from my old friend Rich Davis indicating that his mother was in town visiting from Seattle.
Rich and I go back easily 30 years or so. We were inseparable best friends for a good portion of our adolescence. I knew his whole family and even lived with the Davis’s at one point.
It was good to see Mary. It’s been at least 15 years or so since I have seen her. She’s looking great! She had bypass surgery and has lost over 150 lbs and seems to be full of energy and great humor.
When people my age and older get together to reminisce the conversation quickly turns to what I call the “Litany of the Dead” where the two parties pretty quickly catch each other up on who’s no longer with us. I gave up the gory details on my little brother, my mother and my father who had all passed since we saw each other last and she filled me in on her husband, her mother and her daughter.
A grim but necessary conversation and ever so appropriate on this, The Day of the Dead.
Mary shared with me the story of how when her husband had died she had to make the decision to take him off life support. She expressed some of the agony that comes with making that decision and the doubt surrounding whether or not to try prolonging the life.
After he had passed she collected family members to go out and get some dinner. They went to a burger place and order some food and the most amazing thing happened when she received her change. She got this dollar bill (which she later had laminated):
If you click it you will see a larger view and you can read the handwritten text which says:
“Today is the day that I died, a day that was one of the best”
It gave me chills just holding it. I call it the “Dollar of the Dead”. It’s not every day that the dead communicate so clearly. What a blessing!
Feliz DÃa de los muertos everyone!