I walk in and greet my hospice patient, the 94 years old Mrs M. She is laying under a blanket with a quarter of a sandwich in front of her. She slowly eats the sandwich as we catch up from my last visit. A large palm sways in the window behind her bed. Mrs M. says she would like to write a book. I ask her what the topic would be and she says "the choices of life" .
I ask her what the most important choice in life is. She says, " Well, it depends on the person. You need to consider your strengths and weaknesses and what makes you happy... as you can tell, I was a guidance counselor as well." I said, " So , you helped people find the answer that they already had inside?" She smiles. "Exactly."
Her blue eyes focus on me for a few moments before she says," You are still young. You have miles to travel . And if you find yourself getting tired of one road, you can go down another. Maybe you will find a husband and settle down. Maybe you won't and that's okay too. There are lots of independent women that are very happy. " I smile . She says, " When you are making headway with a student you can see it all over their face. I'm still teaching and enjoying it. Now I'm teaching YOU."
She says that she always wanted to be a doctor. Instead , she ended up teaching chemistry at the college she graduated from. I ask why she didn't become a doctor. She said the Lord had different plans for her. Soon after college she got married and had children. During the war she was offered many positions but had a two year old at home. She smiles as she says, " You just can't buy that kind of work."
She said, " I always loved teaching. I became the study of what I taught about. In order to be a good teacher you must be passionate about it and I was. " She pauses . " You must excuse me." She leans her head back on her pillow as her eyes began to close . She is sleeping. It may have been one short visit but I already learned a lifetime of lessons.
