Medwords; Conversations with Animal Guides
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My mother was dying. She was 86 years old and she had decided to starve herself to death. I didn't know, at first, that this was her plan. All I knew was that this stout little woman, who had always been overweight, had slimmed down to a mere shadow of herself, and had lost interest in just about everything, including food. Several years before, she went blind, from macular degeneration. She had been a legal secretary her whole life and her main interests were in reading and writing. She was an inveterate letter writer and wrote letters to the editor on every conceivable subject. She had also been the secretary of a discussion group. When she lost her eyesight, she made up her mind that she might as well die. And when my mother made up her mind about anything, she usually got her way. It was when I noticed the wall calendar near her telephone that I caught on to her plan. There was nothing written on it for the month of February. There was just a black check mark, made with a magic marker, on the first of February, 1989. When I saw that she was ignoring the 'Meals on Wheels' I had ordered delivered for her, saw that they were piling up in her refrigerator and that she had bought no food at all for several weeks, the significance of the black checkmark became apparent. I had always had a difficult relationship with my mother. She was domineering, controlling, invasive. But as the older of two daughters, and the one that lived where my mother lived, in New York City, while my sister lived on the West Coast, I was the one appointed as caretaker. I resolved to do my duty But what was my duty here? I wondered. Jewish ethics prescribe that the highest value of them all is Life. Should I try to keep my mother alive as long as possible? Or should I accede to her wishes and allow her to die? My dilemma was made more difficult by the fact that everybody I spoke to seemed to have a different opinion. Her neighbors thought I should put her in a rest home. That would absolve them from any responsibility for her wellbeing. But she did not want to go to a rest home. She wanted to stay right where she was, in her own apartment, living with the memories of her departed husband. The neighbors, mostly elderly like my Mom, thought I was a bad daughter because I did not come and visit every day. They thought I was not taking care of her properly, and they told me so. But every time my mother and I were together, we argued. Various friends suggested I move in with her. That, for me, would have been self-destructive.
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About the Book
Using meditation and visualization, the author has asked questions of the universe regarding a variety of individual concerns common to us all. The responses came to her from spirit guides in the form of animals and birds. Some of the questions she asked were 'How can I make more money?' 'How can I make more friends?' 'How can I adjust to new surroundings?' 'How can I find a loving partner?' 'How can I get rid of bad habits?' Sometimes funny, sometimes profound, the responses can offer help to others encountering similar dilemmas. Or, drawing from the author's experience, readers may wish to form their own spiritual connection for help in finding their own spiritual path.
About the Author
A produced playwright published poet, Ms. Safran was born in New York City and now resides in Tallahassee, Florida. She has gleaned wisdom from the Quakers, Unitarians, Unity Church and Buddhists as well as from her Jewish heritage, and feels, as the poet Tagore said, "Everyone has a piece of The Truth." A retired teacher of English and Creative Writing. Ms. Safran currently edits The Seven Hills Fiction Review and is also Arts & Entertainment Editor for YourVillage.com. Ms. Safran's plays for children include The Prince and the Pauper, based on the Mark Twain classic; The Adventures of Paul Bunyan, Hiawatha, and My Favorite Store (about a homeless boy and his cat). She has had four one-act plays for adults produced: The Rogue's Gallery; An Interview with Calamity Jane, Henry Hudson's Better Half and The Day Before the Sack of Rome. Her poetry collections include Stepping Stones and Love is the Answer; What Was the Question? Ms. Safran's articles have appeared in regional and national publications on the topics of art, health, women's issues and civil rights. To order her poetry books, or for information on producing her plays, contact her by email: