My friend is dying

I have a friend in quilt guild who is very sick. Her illness came on rather suddenly in early November and she spent weeks in the intensive care unit and a progressive care unit. Interestingly, she was at my hospital all the time, but I didn't know until the last few weeks. She stabilized and was moved from my hospital to a rehab center. Yesterday, we got email from a family member that she is in hospice care now.

Obviously, I am saddened by this. She is a nice lady, and excellent quilter, and a good leader in the quilting community here in Kansas City. She blessed me many times in various ways. She sat with me during our annual quilting-for-charity day in guild and we chatted. She attended one of my wind symphony concerts. She was a committee chair when I was the guild's newsletter editor, and she was a faithful encourager and provider of newsletter content.

The thought keeps running through my mind - "how can this be?"

For one thing, she is my parents' age. She was vibrant and active just a few months ago. How can she get so sick so fast, come back from the brink, but then decline anyway? Life is strange. Death is strange, too.

I think I'll try to go see her today. It may be too late. I don't know what I can offer her. My feelings of uselessness should not preclude me from offering a blessing to her.