the bell begins to toll

I'm borrowing the above reference from John Donne's famous poem, the one whose first and last lines (or portions thereof) we know so well: "No man is an island..." and "ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." In my world right now, that bell is warming up to toll for my friend Kathy. In spite of all efforts to slow the cancer and find some small niche of functioning in her life, it hasn't happened. She has decided to cease any medical intervention to prolong her life and begun the transition to hospice care for what remains of her days. Her internist, who has made daily house calls in the last week, believes that Kathy's passing appears imminent. She is asking when I will be there. This morning I will head to church with Ken and the dogs, and after the completion of my duties there we will be on the road to St. Louis. We don't know how long we will be gone--imminent is a difficult timeframe to translate--but I will use this forum to be in touch along the way. Your prayers, as always, are appreciated. Your love and support is felt keenly, and means so much.