How the dying help the living in small town communities

NATCHITOCHES, LOUISIANA - Carol Forsloff - In the space of one year death has taken several Natchitoches citizens.  Three of these people were known by many in Natchitoches,with the connections that exist in small towns, with lessons that come from those and other things.

Bobby DeBlieux was one of those, whose image was on posters all over town as part of its appeal.  He had at one time been Mayor of the town and its honored historian as well as one of its Treasures.   Pearl Crayton, one of the better writers of the South, perhaps unknown to many for that talent but known as a unique contributor in the Natchitoches community, taught classes in writing at Melrose and was involved in action activities for the betterment of her neighborhood.

Cancer took Sharon Sampite, a younger woman than either DeBlieux or Crayton, a disease she valiantly fought.  Her reaching out to cancer survivors and creating a support group was an invaluable contribution she made in the days she never knew if and when her own cancer would return. 

The intimacy of shared experiences is present in small towns like Natchitoches, Louisiana, a place where it seems  most people are three, not six,  degrees of separation.  But for every person the process of dying goes beyond our immediate experience, since as experts tell us, each is a deeply personal and individual event.

A Dying Person's Guide to Dying by Roger C. Bone gives these specifics, that add to the knowledge people gain from close relationships, but that goes beyond these to the perspective for everyone.  It follows here, in the memory of friends now gone, but whose friendships we honor and remember every day:

"By thinking ahead about what could happen - and about how you will deal
with problems if they do happen, you can create a better life and a
better quality of life for yourself and for the people who love
and care about you. What I have to say is for the person who, like
myself, is dying. We, too, need to plan - to think ahead in order to
fashion, out of the time remaining, the best of what is possible."