This post contains affiliate links.
“Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides.” ~ Lao Tzu
“Life and death matters, yes. And the question of how to behave in the world, how to go in the face of everything. Time is short and the water is rising.” ~ Raymond Carver
I had planned a very different post for today, but Thursday night I learned that one of my podcast guests, Kate Wallinga, died on Saturday February 10. She was not only my guest, but the host of the “Ignorance Was Bliss” podcast. We met on PodMatch and actually exchanged guesting on each other’s shows.
After our guest exchange, we connected on Facebook and early last year I discovered that she was ill. She’d contracted some strange gastrointestinal disease and was in and out of the hospital throughout the year. As Fall arrived, more and more of her body systems began to fail. In her last post on January 27, two weeks before she died, she and her husband shared the raw, honest truth about going through such a debilitating disease mostly alone. It was a heartbreaking beginning to a much longer post, but one thing that got to me was the fact that when she was in the hospital for the last time for 27 days in December and January, no one but her husband came to see her, not even her friends that live close by. She didn’t want her children to come because for part of the time, she had Covid and she didn’t want to pass that on to them.
Her last post is heartbreaking because she shares how her illness changed the way she saw herself and she didn’t recognize the person she’d become. On top of that she was alone during the day, mostly bedridden during her time at home between hospital visits. And that got me thinking. I have a friend who has been in the hospital several times since I’ve known him, and I have never gone to see him when he’s there. I’ve gone to plays he’s produced and acted in in between, but I’ve not gone to the hospital. What was wrong with me? Fortunately, my friend is healing nicely. However, as I wrote one or two weeks back, my mother’s health is failing. Maybe I should make the long trip to go see her now. My sister says that she’s not really aware of much. What a dilemma, spend the money and make two trips? Can I put a price on my Mom’s life? Not at all.
Back to Kate, the wonderful thing about her is that her podcast will always be available to listen to. I’ve listened to several of the 498 episodes. She has a unique way of looking at the world that I think you might enjoy. Listening to people’s stories is a great way to get a new perspective on what it means to be a human being. Her last post is both heartbreaking and hopeful and worth listening to. If you go by the tributes to her by her fellow podcasters and guests, she touched a lot of lives and made them better. Isn’t that what we all hope for? I know I do.
Welcome new followers and thank you to those who’ve been with me for awhile. I appreciate the energy you use reading my thoughts.
Blessings,
Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2024
Story-Power on Patreon and Apple Subscriptions
I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power podcast, Patreon Community, and Apple subscription so I’d have an excuse to talk story with other story lovers. Patreon is $5 a month for content not found on the Story-Power podcast, or on my Sage Woman Blog. The Apple subscription is $3 a month, again with content not found on the Story-Power podcast. If you’re passionate about stories, and want to talk about what you’ve learned from your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower. Or, you can add the subscription on Apple podcast where Story-Power is published.
The Space Between Time
Have you ever experienced life shattering events? Yeah, most of us have. In THE SPACE BETWEEN TIME, Jenna Holden gets slammed by her fiancé walking out, her mother’s untimely death, and losing her job all in one week. But she receives unexpected help when she finds her 3-times great-grandmother’s journals and begins the adventure of a lifetime. This started off as a very different book. It’s amazing where the muses take you. You can get a hard copy of TSBT at Amazon, or at your favorite ebook retailer. Now back to working on book two.
Best Book Awards: American Book Fest 2017 winners and finalists: http://www.americanbookfest.com/generalfiction/fantasyscifi.html
Rita Gau’s review: Recently, I finished reading a book titled, The Space Between Time, by my friend, Lucinda Sage-Midgorden. It was the best book I’ve read in a long time. It kept me captivated, which I have not experienced from any other book for the past couple of years. I loved all the little gems of meaningful and what I call spiritual statements throughout the book. You know, those words that make you pause and think, and sometimes have an “aha” from or a deeper awareness about something. And it was entertaining and informational about some of the history in the 1800’s and yet, contemporary. It also reminded me of the importance of “living in community” and how important it is to help one another and be engaged in your community. Thank you Lucinda for a wonderful, entertaining and captivating book!
PodMatch
If you are a podcaster, or have a message or fantastic product you want to share with the world, I encourage you to check out PodMatch. I call them a dating service for podcasters. Use the affiliate link and tell them, Lucinda sent you. Then contact me so we can set up a Story-Power chat.
Sage Woman Chronicles 