Sarah died a year ago this morning.
The following is the e-mail message I sent out that evening. Most of you have seen it before, but I don’t think I can improve on it, so here it is again.
I hope none of you has spent as much time in hospitals as we have these past few months. We have come to know them far too well.
One of the things we’ve gotten used to is the constant presence of the public address system. Rather than an announcer, frequently one will hear a soft “bong” or “bong-bong” over the speaker system to indicate that Doctor Someone should call someone else.
Sarah spent her last 24 hours at Cambridge Hospital, where they make extensive use of these bells. We listened to them ding and bonk all through the long night. As Sarah was breathing her last, the speaker system came on and the bells played “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” softly, once through. It signaled that a new baby had just been born.
Dave, I don’t think there’s anything I could say that accurately expresses the depth of my emotional response to this and your last few posts. And I don’t know if there are arms big enough to give you and Nate the hug you need.
Still, I’m here for you.
I stumbled across your blog from somewhere (maybe dooce?) and I’ve been reading the past few weeks. Your posts are so compelling, and I feel like I want to reach out to you even though I don’t know you.
Heartfelt thanks to both of you. And welcome, kalki. I’m glad to have you.