But first,the chair.
There was a lady that I used to work with. We became great friends, even though there was quite an age difference. She was a mother figure to some of us, but was also funny and sarcastic. We bonded over plants and the Red Sox and books. She took off work for a bit to have a surgical procedure. During this, they found that she had Stage 4 colon cancer. We did not know this at all. In fact,she called me from the hospital and was laughing and joking with me. She sounded tired, but said she'd be back to work soon. But she didn't.
She took some time off to recover, and we still had no idea of her cancer. She told almost no one, including her some of her family. There were many times when I was in town,and thought that I should call her, or stop by, but always made excuses like "well, what if she is too tired, or not feeling well" or "I don't want to bother her". So I didn't. I still regret this. (If you know someone who is ill, or feeling down, or just needs help in some way, don't worry about "bothering" them! Call them now. Stop over. Don't make excuses.)
So her condition was deteriorating quickly, and she was admitted into hospice care, and passed away.
She was one of those people who is always putting herself last. She didn't want to "bother" anyone either. She didn't want anyone to worry. And because of both of our stupid stubbornness, she passed away without many of the people who loved and cared for her being there. I think of her a lot.
I was given a rocking chair that belonged to her, and it sat upstairs for a long time before I figured out what to do with it.. It was in rough shape. I wish I had taken a "before " photo, but I didn't . It was dark brown and the seat was ripped and the whole thing needed sanding. So I finally decided what to do. I lightened it up , and made a new cushion for it. I hope it's a good tribute to her. I think she would have liked it.
