I briefly spoke with Shug's hospice nurse about an hour ago. Late morning Shug experienced a devastating cardio-pulmonary event in the midst of a seizure. She is non-responsive to stimuli and agonal. Much to the dismay of the nurse Bob has tucked all the fur-friends into bed with her and cuddled up to her as well.
Previously Shug had chosen music and incense for this transitional state and I know that her Bob has honored those choices.
Peace, Shug, peace. May this part of your journey be quiet, peaceful, and overflowing with wondrous memories. May the venture that awaits you be founded on the cornerstone of curiosity, bordered by love, and undertaken with the knowledge of who you are, why you are, and how you are. You, dear woman, will be missed in this realm.
Ah, Shug! My heart is broken... and I have been selfish in wanting to keep you with us.
"You live on earth only for a few short years
which you call an incarnation,
and then you leave your body as an outworn dress
and go for refreshment to your true home in the spirit."
~ White Eagle ~
Bob, I grieve with you and thank you for honoring our Shug. Blessings and peace.
all my thoughts and prayers being sent her way
Bob, I am so sorry to hear this news. Of course, I never met Shug but feel like I knew her for years. I've only been on this forum for a short time, but she touched my life in many ways. She reached out to help others in spite of all the pain and suffering she was experiencing. I can only hope I can remain as thoughtful and gracious as she was right to the end. May peace be with her now and my sympathy to you as you are forced to say goodbye. Thank you Abazina for letting us know.Blessings to Shug on this journey.
Shug I send you prayers and well wishes. Bob we are praying for you. Our dear Shug loved you so much. Thank you for letting us know.Abazina, thanks for letting us know. Lyn, I like the quote. Oh No! I never thought that I could be so upset about someone that I only knew on line, but my heart is broken. Peace be with you Shug and my sincere condolences to Bob and the furry members of the family.
This is such sad news. I miss her already.My heart breaks to hear this.... Shug even though I have never met you in person I will remember your caring words forever. I hope that she is at peace. She has been such a postive force here....We all come from a place surrounded by a love that is so pure, a love that is beyond our
comprehension, when our lessons are
complete, we return.
We are praying for Bob and all of Shug's family. I know she will be missed.
even though i may have called her a meanie when she was trying to give me good advice
i still thought she was a wonderful person (altho ive never met her, she seemed nice)
Shug was one of the best ppl here, (in my opinion)(but everyone else is awesome too)
Although I'm new here I've been touched by Shug's wit, grace and caring compassion. I sorrow at our mutual loss and take heart that her pain has come to a close. May she be welcomed home with a love beyond our understanding.I do not know Shug, but I offer my compassion to those who know her and pray her journey is painless and peacefulAccording to my contact at hospice, Shug died at 5:56 PM. Somehow it seems fitting that her demise took place as the sun set.
Rest in peace Shug. Janie.
Rest in peace Shug. I am very sorry to hear of this. She was dignified and respectful, wise and encouraging right up until the end.
I do miss our Shug so much already. I feel blessed to have known her even if it was only on a forum. I can not even imagine all that she has gone through in these past months. What a fine and wonderful lady. I will remember her always. Rest in peace my dear friend Shug.From the mountain top to the valley below,
follow the river to the sea, you are fee.
In Peace Shug.
rest in peace.
rest in peace, ShugMay Shug find peace in eternity and relief from her pain. I hope her family finds solace in the memories of the last few months as they surrounded her with their love and comfort.
Howl at the moon, Shug!
I'll miss her......there is a new star in the heavens todayHow many lives you touched, Shug! Even knowing yesterday that this news was imminent, it still comes as a shock this morning that she really has left us. Buckeye is right - there is a new star in the heavens today and she will be watching out for us from on high. I doubt that her spot here will ever be filled. We can only strive to be as compassionate and supportive as she was to all. Rest in peace, Shug.At 5:56 PM (Arizona time) a group of Shug's friends & co-workers are gathering for a celebration of her life. There will be music, food, drink, & camaraderie: some of Shug's most favorite things.
You each are invited to join us as we, to quote another poster, howl at the Moon.
Even though Shug and I did not see eye to eye on issues, I'm sorry to hear this news. Abazina, I'm glad you were a friend to Shug in her short life. Would you be able to provide us with Shugs obituary so that we may read about shugs life? It would be a good way for all of us to celebrate her life and honor her passing.
Hello Lorster. There will be, re: Shug's end of life care plan, no public obit. If I am well-informed, there will be a death notice in the paper tomorrow. According to those who knew her well, Shug found much of the trapping of modern funeral pomp & circumstance to be unnecessary and a burden on immediate family.
She once mentioned that she had posted about her end of life plan on this forum, but explained to me that the "main event" of her death would be three months down the line and that she had set aside funds (as well as a plan) for that event.
EDITED to add a link to that topic. http://arthritisinsight.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=22683&PID=253169#253169
Although we, Shug and I, were "new friends" I would be glad to answer any questions about her life that I can.
I am sure that the Shug I was coming to know did not see eye-to-eye on several issues with a great many people: including me. I find it pleasing that you, who did not see eye-to-eye with her, can still express sorry at her death.
Thank you, Joan
Abazina2009-11-08 10:17:16Although I amnew here, I have often seen the name Shug on msg boards, always helping others. She is very important to this site. We will all be thinking of her and Bob at this sad time. Prayers and thoughts to your family. Thank you Abazina for letting us know this sad news.For those of you who may just want to know a bit more about Shug and the things she enjoyed, you might want to go to the thread "Introduction" posted by her on March 10, 2009. I was feeling a huge need just to connect more to her and spent about an hour searching for that piece. There certainly were many that followed that gave more of a glimpse but I found that one had enough for me for now.Thanks, Mary
Even though I knew this was only days away I'm still stunned and my heart is heavy with sorrow for the loss of Shug and her infinite wisdom. My deepest sympathies are for her friends and family. She'll be one of the brightest stars in the night sky. Lindy
Rest in peace, Shug. This is very sad and I think happened a lot quicker than most of us expected.
My prayers and thoughts are with Shug's loved ones. I wish her family and friends a joyous celebration to honor her life, Shug would want nothing less.
I wrote this poem and posted it a while back. It was inspired by Shug and her amazing courage as she shared her story with us. I hope it is a worthy tribute to her life and the courage she revealed to us all. I am deeply saddened by my loss and will miss her.
On Being Brave
By Alan Duncan
(dedicated to Shug…November 2009)
If I was not so properly brave I would cry,
A heart rending wail descending to a mournful sigh.
Perhaps I would seek a cool, dark place to hide,
With stone walls to repel the encroaching red tide.
If I were not so properly brave I would run,
Far away from the maelstrom of chaotic tension
That permeates my mind with blackened dreams,
A constant pressure weakly held by bursting seams,
And so I stand, terribly brave indeed,
Listening to a quiet voice with authority to lead
My quaking quivering soul on a path to higher ground
Where angelic voices sing a soothing sound.
And so I stand, insulated from the dark night,
My mind purged of voices preaching irrational fright.
The muted storm rages on distant plains.
While in my heart a supernatural soothing quiet reigns.
If I were not so terribly brave, I might be wary
Of an unexpected peace that may not tarry,
Of a sudden surge of joy so fragile it might break
If fears spoken too loudly should cause the air to quake.
Eyes tightly closed, I only see life lived now.
And so with gratitude I take a humble bow.
Low to the earth I release my human pain,
Reaching for heaven, I join the angel's refrain.
The thread that Mary mentions is here.
Thanks for placing your Poem up Alan, I will have to read it again when in a better place.
Alan, I loved that poem before and it means more to me now than ever. Thanks..
I'm soo sad, i came back, briefly and she was one of the few, that posted.
she was sooo enourmously kind , what a beautiful soul, it hurts to know she won't be here, but I know she's in a better place.. odd i feel such a loss and didn't know her as well, as I would have liked.
Rest in peace, shug, you were loved and cared about.
very sad news
I don't know what else to say other than I am absolutely devastated by this news and am typing through tears. My dear Shug, you still have all my love.
This is such sad news, she will be missed by many on this forum...It's with a heavy heart that I morn the passing of our dear Shug. She was such an inspiration to us all. Even with all of her struggles you could always count on her to have a positive outlook and help those around her to see the sunny side of everything.
My deepest sympathies are with Bob, her animal babies that she loved like children and all of her loved ones. Abazina~Please make sure that you mention to her loved ones if you have an opprotunity, that she was loved and admired by all of her virtual friends here.
She will be greatly missed.
This is just so sad.
Bob, know our thoughts are with you.
Shug was so kind to us. She will be missed.
I just have no words, I always feel at a loss when someone dies. She knows all our hearts now.
This is so sad. I just found out. Rest in peace Shug....HGWhat a shock.. she'll be smiling down on us all typing away.
Thoughts & prayers go to her family. xx
Wind to your wings Shug! You are soaring pain free! Your spirit lives on in each of us and in all those whose lives you touched. Vale to an awesome lady!
To Bob and the furry children – our sorrow, our pride, our thanks and our prayers. Shug is not gone – she is with us in spirit and will certainly never be forgotten!
greenfrogI, along with a couple of other people (not members of the forum, are taking 'screen shots' of the tributes and will present them to Shug's family when appropriate. Thank you, each of you, for your contributions.
A wonderful celebration...than your for including it here.
[QUOTE=Alan]I wrote this poem and posted it a while back. It was inspired by Shug and her amazing courage as she shared her story with us. I hope it is a worthy tribute to her life and the courage she revealed to us all. I am deeply saddened by my loss and will miss her.
On Being Brave
By Alan Duncan
(dedicated to Shug…November 2009)
If I was not so properly brave I would cry,
A heart rending wail descending to a mournful sigh.
Perhaps I would seek a cool, dark place to hide,
With stone walls to repel the encroaching red tide.
If I were not so properly brave I would run,
Far away from the maelstrom of chaotic tension
That permeates my mind with blackened dreams,
A constant pressure weakly held by bursting seams,
And so I stand, terribly brave indeed,
Listening to a quiet voice with authority to lead
My quaking quivering soul on a path to higher ground
Where angelic voices sing a soothing sound.
And so I stand, insulated from the dark night,
My mind purged of voices preaching irrational fright.
The muted storm rages on distant plains.
While in my heart a supernatural soothing quiet reigns.
If I were not so terribly brave, I might be wary
Of an unexpected peace that may not tarry,
Of a sudden surge of joy so fragile it might break
If fears spoken too loudly should cause the air to quake.
Eyes tightly closed, I only see life lived now.
And so with gratitude I take a humble bow.
Low to the earth I release my human pain,
Reaching for heaven, I join the angel's refrain.
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