Preparing a Body for Death

I can feel a sermon coming on. I am in one of those strange encounters with a woman and her husband that I will never soon forget. The woman I will call Millie has been married to Ben for about twenty five years. Eighteen of those years have been spent giving comfort to Ben who is currently in end stages of Alzheimer's. To the casual observer Ben can seem like someone hardly worth the trouble. He is not able to talk or make sounds, he is immobile, most recently it has been determined that he is blind and cannot see anything, he is on a feeding tube and needs constant maintenance as he lives a day by day existence. Do not tell Millie that. She sees someone totally different. She sees Ben as someone she can prepare for death.

On the surface this seems kind of morbid. I have been helping Millie out for a year and a half and I am more and more amazed at what I am learning about what it mean to take care of another human being. When I get down and dirty and most of that means I am supportive of Millie as a caring companion, I may just want to get to know death. It is in the awareness of its immanence that I am learning what it means to take care of a human being.

1. There is a need for a person to know respect that leads one to go to a place where they are respected and valued.
2. They need a place of healing, which describes perfectly what Millie is doing. She does everything possible to make sure that Ben does not experience needless pain. She longs for the times he is comfortable and at peace.
3. There is a need for a sense of humor. One never knows what to expect in this arrangement. I am sure God will have the last laugh on us all.
4. There is the realization that we need caring presence.
5. People come into Ben's house and it becomes a house of care. Love is known in overabundance.
6. Yes there are any number of medicines and procedures that keep things running smoothly.
7. Above all there is this alien presence. (Millie loves to watch show about aliens). I believe this alien presence to be someone by the name of Jesus who came to be with us so that we could be with him.
8. The only thing I can be sure of is that all of us are getting ready for a great bon voyage party. Ben loved trips and I have no question he is going to a place out of this world. And I for one look forward to being with him there.