HORSES

 "Paul”, ninety years old, suffers from lung cancer. He has been on hospice for about two months. He is declining rapidly to where he is now very weak and sleeps most of the day. Paul lives with his wife, “Joan”, who is eighty-six, but so full of life and energy.

Paul and Joan have three adult children and many grandchildren. The family is very close and all are devoted to Paul and Joan. Joan does not look or act her eighty-six years. She is very social and, in addition to her family, has many close friends and neighbors. She is very talented and has many interests. Joan paints water colors, plays the piano and currently is writing her second novel.

Joan has a strong interest in genealogy and has researched Paul’s family history as well as her own. Paul was a World War II hero as he was the pilot of the plane that first spotted the Japanese at Midway. Paul proudly showed me the one room in their home where he has displayed all the newspaper articles and medals he received while serving in the war.

During my visits, Joan will start sharing family history. She remembers all the details which make her stories so interesting and colorful. During my visit today, she started to share stories of the loss of members of her family. Seeing Paul’s decline in the recent weeks has brought up past memories that she has experienced.

During the visit, she shared the story of her father and how he died. She said his love for horses came from his father, her grandfather. Her grandfather was a cowboy and also rode horses throughout his life. She said he once raced against Jesse James in a horse race.

It gives her peace and comfort knowing that the moment her father died was the perfect moment for him. 


HORSES


She has a colorful family history.
She’ll easily spin you a tale.
Anecdotes, adventures, olden times.
She’s a natural-born story teller.

She’ll proudly talk about her family.
So many people no longer around.
How she was there for many until the end.
Lasting memories she’ll never forget.

She shares stories about her father
and his lifelong love of horses.
Never without a cowboy hat
as he proudly rode throughout his life.

Late in life, a heart attack left him frail.
Her mother had to pick up the slack.
One day she wheeled him to the front porch
so he could watch her work in the yard.

Suddenly he saw children leading some ponies.
They were slowly walking past his home.
An unusual event never occurring before.
It was then he quietly slipped away.

It gives her peace and much comfort
knowing he died the moment he did.
One final image of the horses he so loved.
Further coloring of the already vibrant family tree.