April 15, 2015--Ladies of Forest Trace--The Battle

The other day when I called my mother sounded quite good. Better than she had for quite some time.

So, I said, "You sound very good today. What's going on?"

Very deliberately she said, "I'm engage in the battle."

I liked that, felt that was enough to say and hear in one day, and so I rang off.

Later, I told a friend about the call. He too knew about having an ancient mother. His died last year at nearly 105.

"Very impressive," he said. "She's still fighting to stay alive. My Mom did as well. Right to the end."

"I'm not sure that's what she meant."

"What then was she saying?"

"She's not fighting just to stay alive. There is that too, but I think she meant much more."

"What's that?"

"That she was also engaged in the battle to have a life. That's not really the same thing as just wanting to live on."

"Sounds right to me," he said. "And amazing."