In Memory of L.K.G., a tender soul gone from this world too soon... too soon

B"H, 

Baruch Dayan HaEmet* 

Bubbe Cilpa, a koch-lechel* in her prime, was in hospice, asleep for two weeks, no food, no water, I don't know what else.  Tante* Rena, her middle child was there every day.  After two weeks with nothing happening Tante and the nurse were wondering if they should change their plan of action.  What's going on?  Was Cilpa comfortable?  Was she bored?  At ninety-seven years old was she staying in this world because she considered her daughters incompetents?  

Well, we know for a fact that she wasn't bored because Tante was reading aloud to her the whole time.  They were plowing through the collected works of Sholem Aleichem* and Sholem Asch*.  For a change they were reading Shakespeare in Yiddish... "zein oder nit zein da liegt der Hund bagruben*".  No, Cilpa was NOT bored.  So, what was going on here?  Nothing, gar-nisht*!  They consulted with the rabbi.  People go to hospice for a good death, for a respectable death, not for a marathon book club experience.  

The new plan called for a different approach.  Tante started thanking Cilpa for her good and wonderful parenting and grand-parenting.  So much devotion!  She began to reassure her mother that she, Rena, would incorporate all of the lessons that Cilpa had exemplified.  Tante continued with thanks for many more moments actually mesmerized by the idea that her mother would soon be reunited with parents, siblings, beloved husband, all loved ones in olam ha-emet*.  You'll see Tateh, ... oy, mein Tati*.  I miss him.  

Suddenly, Cilpa opens her eyes to look at her daughter.  "Rena, we don't know that" were her words.  She then turned away from Tante as her eyes closed.  A mucousy cough followed and that was that.

BARUCH DAYAN HA-EMET.

Dictionary

Baruch Dayan Ha-Emet: Hebrew for "blessed is the Judge of Truth" (more information).

Koch-lechel: Literally a cooking spoon, thus one who stirs the pot; in other words, a professional meddler.

Tante: Yiddish for Auntie.

Sholem Aleichem: The author who is the source for "Fiddler on the Roof".

Sholem Asch: A Yiddish writer.

Zein oder nit zein, da liegt der Hund bagruben: Yiddish translation of "To be, or not to be: that is the question".  Literally from the Yiddish back into English: To be or not to be, there lays the buried dog" ... a buried dog is a problem or a question ( for a scholarly discussion of the topic).

Gar-nisht: Yiddish for absolutely, positively nothing.

Olam Ha-emet: Hebrew for "World of Truth", the world beyond this earthly existence.

Tateh, Tati: Father, Daddy