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Show 258 During this time another life was drawing to a close. Our poor Mama, diabetic, with an enlarged heart and many other ailments, was keeping on her feet with a look of terrible strain on her face for fear of being bedfast, "a burden. " Years ago I had given her a bound book with empty, lined pages for her to fill. Mama was a good story-teller and she filled this book with the chronicle of her own living, a treasure that will never die. As a nurse I foresaw that I might be the one to be present at her death and I didn't think I could bear it. Now she had sold her home, given us her treasures, and was living with her children. In Richfield she had Revo and Rachel. Grant and Eldon were still in Joseph, Macel in Oak City, Vetris and UTESL. She preferred to be with Revo, but sometimes needed to be near the hospital, so now she was living with Vetris, came to me on week-ends. It was a Monday, and she was back with Vetris, who did private duty nursing from seven A. M. to three P. M. Mama slept late and I always came to fix her lunch at noon, as their apartment was near the University. The postman was ringing the doorbell when I came with Avis, Macel's daughter, also a secretary at the University of Utah. I opened the door and went in. Mama was lying on the couch partly dressed, her hand beneath her cheek in a favorite gesture of sleep. "Mama, the mailman has a letter for you, " I said. "Mama! Mama?" Mama was gone beyond letters or words. * * * * * |