Mom died 4 years ago at 86 years of age. She lived a full life and was ready to go. She showed it in many ways.
She had a good last weekend, was chatty and smiling, surrounded by dear members of her extended family. Having pneumonia, we knew her condition was critical.
When things turned for the worse, we tried to get her to the hospital, but she wouldn’t have it. Her body started shutting down. We called the ambulance off and she started to stabilize. That gave her two more days of life, at home.
During those two days, she was not exactly lucid. She could not speak but she was aware. Seemed at rest. It was clear that she wanted company, craved holding hands.
While she was at rest, all her children surrounded her in her room, taking turns at holding her hand and checking her oxygen levels. But for the most part, we were in bad shape, sadness filling all our pores.
During her last night, there was a passage when we were all absolutely quiet, still. Went on for what seemed ages and I couldn’t take it any more. So I decided to break out the music and let her have the last notes of her life. I’m not exactly sure why I chose this particular album but it seemed totally appropriate for the moment.
Daniel Barenboim is a very famous classical conductor and pianist from Argentina. A genius with a great career, still very active at age 73. He will be doing a whole series of Mozart and Bruckner with Staatskapelle Berlin at Carnegie Hall next season, conducting and playing the piano simultaneously.
A very little known gem by Barenboim is “Tangos Among Friends“, honoring his native Argentina. While mom was not big into tangos, this particular album she really liked. The selections are close to the music she grew up with and loved. It’s very deep and sweet, yet a little sad. Just transports you to a profound inner space. Here’s a little taste, “Mi Buenos Aires Querido”.
Barenboim’s piano is fabulous, accompanied by a delicious heartfelt “bandoneón”, the Argentine version of the accordion (hey, more life for the accordion!!), and a string bass.
I know in my heart that mom was delighted to receive the gift of music one last time before she left, even as she was dozing off. Maybe I should let Barenboim know that his music was honored in a pretty sublime way.
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Yes. You can follow me on Twitter: @doctor_conde_
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