12 Agonal Breaths

A driver leaves the house in the morning. She travels in both the dark and the light, in the blistering heat and in the biting cold. She travels on many kinds of roads. Some may have pot holes. On others she may have to deal with detours. But she keeps driving on, no matter the climate, congestion or unexpected conditions. Finally, late in the day, she pulls into the driveway next to the house. A key is turned and the motor no longer hums. A button is pushed and the lights no longer shine. But the person driving gets out of the vehicle and goes into the house. And so she, the driver, Yvette T. Rowlett did start out in the morning of her life. She traveled in the darkness of the early day and the bright sunlight of early morning moments. She drove in the heat of the noonday sun and in the chilling cold of the evenings. Difficult roads were filled with some of life's heaviness. Re-construction and changing direction was ongoing as she encountered bottlenecks as a result of traffic lights that did not work. Yet, she chose to drive on, no matter where life led. On a Saturday in December, she turned into the driveway for the last time, a key was turned and her heart no longer beat. A door was opened and her spirit departs. She left the vehicle that had been her life and entered her new home. Most of us never want to think about death and dying. We want to live today and plan for tomorrow. She was no different. She planned for tomorrow and next week and even months from now, but she always tried to live knowing that if she was not here tomorrow, it was going to be okay. She had dreams and plans and desires. She wanted to support her husband in all that he did. She wanted to go to church. She wanted to be here to influence her children, grandchildren and other family members. She wanted to go to soccer games and dance recitals. She wanted to shop, eat out, swim, and read yet another good book. There was so much she wanted to do. She wanted to go to the continent of Africa