A better day for Mom

It was a pretty high-energy day, relatively speaking, for my mom. I'd asked her Cancer Center counselor to come and visit with her, and Mom had written down her appointment as 1 p.m.--but the therapist (a wonderful woman) showed up at 11 a.m., right as the Hospice home health aide was showing up for an introductory visit. I got Mom up, and the aide kept asking if she wanted a shower so finally Mom said "sure." And that's how we got her under some warm water and soap suds for the first time in a week and a half. She hadn't been ready for help before. Afterward, she said it was nice--that she didn't really need any help, but it was nice. The home health aide said that she's a licensed massage therapist also, so Mom has it made. Then today, a Hospice volunteer called and said she'd love to come once or twice(!) a week to give my Mom some Reiki and hang around in case I wanted to go run errands. She's coming for an introductory visit tomorrow morning at 10. Another friend of Mom's, a very long-term friend, showed up also. She hadn't been by since November; they'd just chatted by phone. Mom really got up a head of steam to visit with her. She got up and made her bed (her friend is very neat and proper), and asked me to put out tea and cookies. They exchanged late Christmas presents, and Mom took her into the kitchen to see the new stove that'd been installed since her friend was here last. They visited about an hour. For both visits, I left Mom alone with her friends. These are prescious times; they don't need me hovering through them.
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Mom only had time for 2 naps today, so right now she's on a longer one. In 15 minutes or so I'll wake her up and see if she wants some oatmeal or cream of wheat or something similarly soothing.
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I read in a book about the death experience that soon before someone dies, they typically have one ore more rally days, during which they can seem almost like their old selves. Today's sweet gift of energy and alertness might have been that day for Mom. On the other hand, it might have been the gift of correct pain meds. The long-acting oxycontin makes for fewer spikes of pain meds in her system, which makes for longer bouts of lucidity and wakefulness.