[From Dag Forssell (040929 13:50 Central European Time)]
I am writing from Stockholm. Christine and I left for Sweden last Tuesday,
September 21, and will return to Hayward on October 12. I am past jet lag
and am now operational here in Stockholm. I brought a hard disk with just
about all my files and email and am set up on my sister's recently upgraded
computer.
We purchased tickets in March so we would be here to celebrate my mother's
96th birthday yesterday, September 28, and visit relatives in various parts
of Sweden for a total of three weeks. As things have turned out, my mother
passed on in her sleep September 15. She was examined in early May because
her skin started to turn yellow. A scan revealed that her bile duct was
being squeezed by a pancreatic tumor. The cancer had already spread to the
liver and lungs. The bile duct was opened up by a spiral inserted through
the mouth and she recovered, but gradually lost weight and slowly faded away
since then. I visited for three weeks in May/June. The home care staff
remarked that they have never seen a senior having such an active buzz of
visitors and family. Two of my cousins flew in from London less than two
weeks before she passed. At that point, she spent two hours with them in her
living room conversing in English.
My mother was comfortable and positive to the end. My sisters are very happy
with the ending our mother had. I am happy too.
I suppose I should feel guilty because I feel no grief. What I do feel is
intense pride in my mother and sometimes choke when I tell on her. She sure
paid rent for her time on this Earth and if anything, her passing makes me
reflect on my feeble attempts to pay rent for my time on this Earth. She was
a most remarkable woman with some major accomplishments inside and outside
the family.
In a few days I will finish yet another translation assignment from a long-
time customer and will then turn my attention to reproducing and translating
some of her published works, including an article that was published in the
Swedish Medical Journal in 1943, resulting in a major improvement in infant
mortality in Sweden. She lectured on nutrition to School cafeteria staff in
Gothenburg in the mid 40s and early 50s, resulting in across-the-board
improvements in blood values. And she was featured in a big way by Sweden's
major newspaper in November 2002 in an article focusing on vaccination.
Several vaccination centers called the paper with thanks, saying parents
were bringing in their children for vaccination. All this plus a large
collection of family photographs that my daughter Karin has scanned are
destined for a website that anyone in our rather large extended family can
access.
So now we will celebrate her life instead of her birthday. The funeral is
October 8. The emphasis is on celebration!
···
Subject: Personal & PCT update
================
Before Christine and I left California, I scrambled for two weeks to finish
some large translation assignments as well as to reformat some PCT writings
and update www.livingcontrolsystems.com.
Added to "About PCT" is "PCT at 40". I have added my book "Insight for
management... " and "The Rubber Band Demo" both because Phil refers to them
in his book and because I want reviewers to get the idea that PCT is
relevant to management and such -- answering the "So what" question. You can
download all of it. Bruce Gregory sent me a contribution to the "What people
say" section. "Related web sites, books" has been expanded. Now, I just
need to revamp the order form to provide for additional offerings.
Best, Dag