The Last Writes

I want you to meet Liz Dobbs Jones, the author behind the blog,  Liz was always open and honest with everyone she met.  When , she got sick, she made her journey public by creating her blog “Adventures in Prayers and Medicine”.  I have never met anyone in person who wrote so eloquently and picturesque as Liz. You can feel and see her journey; laugh and cry with her.  Her writing was incredibly powerful. She connected with many; those that knew her well and those that did not.  She found interactions with friends, family, acquaintances and even total strangers online more useful than any support group or therapy session.  One thing never waivered, her faith.  She believed God had a plan for her and she would live it out as He wanted her to.

One of her earlier posts, she wrote, “As I faced a cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment in August 2012, I prepared a mission statement as I believe God allowed this into my life for reasons I may not understand, and so it’s up to me:

“To accept the privilege of walking in faith to learn what’s possible through the combined power of prayer and medicine.”

 “If you pray, please pray; if you don’t, please consider it – for maximum cure, minimal side effects, and, above all, that God’s Will be done”.

“May I accept God’s will for my physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health with a wise and understanding heart. If this is my cross to bear, then so be it, may I do so with dignity, humility and grace. ……EDJ”

In loving memory of Liz and her final blog, we would like to share sentiments from those lives Liz touched - whether it was a smile, a warm hug, or a deep gaze into your soul. 

©                          A Saint I Know, Matt Dobbs, Grade 10 (1994)

I’m going to talk to you about a person in my eyes is a small-s saint. She’s not an extremely holy person but she does attend mass regularly, and sometimes distributes the wine. She also attends reconciliation’s and other social events that take place at our parish.  She also donates and goes out and gets donations for several local and national charities. Every year that I can remember she has been a part of Easter Seals Telethon. She collects donations for the Heart and Stroke Foundation through her fitness club. For the past two years, she has been the coordinator for the Walk Against Diabetes. It raises money to find a cure for diabetes. On this past March break, instead of relaxing, she was out delivering invitations for a breakfast to publicize the Walk for this year.  Not only does she do charity work, she also visits and helps out elderly people with their financial stuff, as well as acting as a friend. There is one old lady that she is really close to and a few months ago she was sick and in the hospital. Her family lives in Smiths Falls and couldn’t make it down so she would go and visit her every other day and bring her mail. Basically, she just provided a friend for the lady while she was sick. But most of all she thinks of everybody else before she worries about herself. She will get everybody else’s priorities looked after before she thinks of what she will do.  If you haven’t noticed, I haven’t mentioned her name yet. You may have had a few guesses and maybe it was right, it’s my mom, Liz Dobbs.  I’m not trying to suck up or be a mama’s boy, it’s just in my eyes, she’s a small-s saint.

©      We all think that we have all the time in the world, only to realize how fleeting it really is. Liz, you always stood out by your character and your big heart. Those of us who got to know you were very lucky for having crossed paths with you. You have been a great source of inspiration and courage for me in showing me the ropes when I was thrown into my secondment at UHKF. There are not many in the world like you. You lived your life as a living embodiment of love. You changed my life. You welcomed me so openly and freely; and never judged. You showed me every time we were together that I was the most important person in front of you. You taught me to have faith again by posing difficult questions regarding my relationship with the church. You put the meaning into “Friends are the family that you get to choose”. I chose you and you chose me. You have touched the hearts of so many whether it was at work, church, walking downtown, or in your home. I have a lifetime of memories filled with laughter, joy and happiness of our times together. You weren’t one in a million but just YOU! It is true that God needs good people to manage his work in heaven. He must have known that you are such a great person and can handle any situation. You have shown me courage by facing this disease head on, and true love in the way you and Mike face this so openly together. You will be missed for all that you taught us, and all those beautiful moments that you created from saying “YES” to any event or some dream someone conjured up to raise money for a cause, all the way through to showing us what a proud grandma you are by hosting your grandchildren’s fashion shows. I am humbled and grateful to have been included in that circle of love. I can’t imagine what you feel or what your thoughts are, so I just want to show my love and appreciation for you by just being by your beside on this journey or life, and comfort you as you have done in such amazing ways to everyone whose life you have touched.  When the sun says goodbye to earth, it leaves a beautiful sunset as a gift. When friends say goodbye to each other, they leave mementos of everlasting and priceless memories. Liz, it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, and a day to love them, but it takes an entire lifetime to forget them. I wish you a peaceful afterlife.

©      Hi Liz, Today I was painting - and thinking of you.  I think of you often and realized you probably would never know that I think of you so much.   When I was a little girl, I wanted to be just like you.  To be a business woman with a family.  So, I was cleaning up my paint brushes and thought maybe I would email you and tell you how much you have always meant to me - how you were a mentor to me wanting to become a strong business woman.  How when you found God I always wondered how that happened and I thought of a million things I wanted to say and then though - no, that's selfish of me to reach out to you after so many years. I remembered my mom telling me you had a blog and I thought I would check to see if I could find it.  And in it you said " it is necessary to make a deliberate choice to revive our mutual love, to revive our relationships so they are not covered by ashes of apathy, indifference, egoism.  So, I can't help but stir up the coals and tell you I love you.  Tell you how I hold so many loving memories of you and Rick and Matt.  How I hope to see you again in Heaven.  How thankful I am that you were in my life as a little girl and how you showed me that I could be a mom and have a career and be strong.  Thank you for everything you did to help me dream.  Xo

©      We met The Dobbs family upon arrival to Kingston, we were next door neighbors and our daughter now 32 was two weeks old when we met. We enjoyed many dinners, going to Mass, a Caribbean cruise and of course many hockey games. Matt and myself share September birthdays and we share special memories over the past years at Woodenheads, Liz was one of a kind.

©      Liz was a bright light for the 4-5 years I knew her as her family doctor. She was a blessing every time she walked through the door, and taught us all so much about faith, living, hope, grief, and death. I am so sorry that I didn't get to say goodbye, however I hold in my heart all the conversations we had, the hugs that we so rarely get from patients, and the way she obviously touched her dear husband and friend. I have received news of her passing from Angeline, our nurse, here in Thailand. I regret not being in Kingston for her passing but consider myself and our whole team blessed to have known her.

©      I'm sure there is a special place in heaven for Liz, as there was on earth. She brought so much goodness to the world in all she did. Liz approached life with a wonderful energy that couldn't help but affect everyone and everything she touched. I am saddened to learn of her passing but will always remember her unique approach to making the world a better place.

©      She was a remarkable woman, a trusted colleague, skilled practitioner and good friend. We will miss her indomitable spirit and will. She's left an enduring legacy in our community as she was much loved by all who had the opportunity to know her and to work with her.

©      To honor a dear friend whose deep faith, commitment to her family and community has no equal. We will miss you among us dear Liz, may your memory be eternal.

©      I consider myself lucky to have known Liz. Thinking of her now, I smile with tears and feel love and joy to have been her friend. Being with her gave me optimism and renewed faith.

©      A life worth remembering! Liz was a very kind and genuine person.

Final Sign off. . . in Liz’s words . . .

Thank you, thank you, thank you. The emails have been washing over us like a waterfall and while I'd love to respond to each one individually, please know I've tucked your message into the envelope of my heart and treasure it dearly. Until next time. God Bless.....EDJ

Gone on her next adventure ……   November 23, 1956 – March 19, 2019