The family gathered in Michigan last weekend, from Chicago, from Phoenix, from Raleigh.  We came to say goodbye.  My mother-in-law, the once vibrant woman who bore ten children, who sat up all night easing their pains from teething gums or feverish brows can no longer raise her own head. 

It's heartbreaking to see a son, now feeding his mother her final meal, with the same tenderness that she must have fed him his first nurishment.   The headman (spiritual leader of the Odawa Tribe) created a fire pit in the yard and opened the path for the greeting she will meet on the other side. The Catholic priest followed to administer the Last Rights.

 But death took a holiday last weekend.  From a deep reservoir strength she managed to smile, brighten her eyes and greet each returned family member.  The slack features were pulled to perform as greetings where exchanged and she returned to the shadows to pay for the strain.  Perhaps she saw as many relatives on that side of the veil.

Life pulled her back and we retured home to Chicago.  She is sipping only water now.   The drum beats are getting louder as the line separating her ancestors and her progency shimmer around her.