Final days

I took this photo yesterday morning to show to my good friend. He loves to walk in gardens and work in gardens, but is stuck in bed on the 5th floor of the hospital. His view from his window looking at the Hospice building. Occasionally he will comment on his blessings….he has a single room, he has a window to look out, he can see the sky when he looks above the concrete structure, but mostly he wonders out loud how long “this” is going to last.

A lot has happened since this photo was taken last Sunday. On Thursday I found out, along with my friend’s family, that he had chosen Friday at 4:00 pm to say goodbye to this life.

We said goodbye on Friday. It wasn’t easy, but seeing the rapid progression of his symptoms we all knew that the timing was right. He spent the day saying goodbye to those who brought special meaning to his life, and left this world surrounded by his family.

As I think back through the past 9-10 years since I first met him, I see him as that soft-spoken, gentle person who attended every recital and concert that I performed in; he was quick to respond to any calls for assistance in instrument repair; he was a fount of knowledge when it came to pipe organs in BC as well as gardens on the Island, and any non-related technical subject; he would send me links to live-streaming of many astronomical events when clouds obscured our view; he had a very unique sense of humour which stayed with him to the end. One of our last discussions was about his promise to haunt any building in which I found myself practicing the organ!

Often misunderstood by our colleagues, Douglas and I found it easy to spend time together. He really didn’t say much but preferred to walk or drink tea.

I will miss my friend.