A mom’s final days – Happy Mother’s Day!
“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” Psalms 139:13 and 14a
I wrote most of this back in April 2011. And today, is the first time I post this here on my blog.
And if your mom is in her final days may this offer you some comfort.
I am thankful that a dear friend encouraged me “to go see her” the day she was placed under Hospice Care. I spent a lot of time sitting beside her bedside and am forever grateful for that time.
I communicated my love to her in various ways during those final days.
- I held her hand
- read to her
- prayed over her
- wiped her tears
- ran my fingers through her hair
- hugged her
- laid my head on her chest
- talked to her
- wept beside her
- whispered in her ear,
- watched her breathe
- kissed her on the cheek
- covered her with a blanket
- put chap stick on her lips
- swabbed her mouth with a sponge
- smiled at her
- laughed with my sisters by her side
- shared stories with loved ones in her presence
- communicated over and over, “I love you Mom”
- and “thank you for being such a good Mom.”
I am grateful that a sister and I were sitting right beside her as she left this earth to be welcomed to heaven by her heavenly Father. Her last breath was taken on April 16th 2011.
Words about my mom were expressed during her funeral visitation. She left her imprint and her voice is silent but her life lives on. She would be so embarrassed that I am doing this, but I get the final word.
“Donna was the first to welcome me in the neighborhood in 1955 and brought me her home made cinnamon rolls,” shared a neighbor friend.
“She was a friend and not just a sister-in-law,” stated my Aunt Betty.
“Your Mother taught me how to chew food properly and to keep my mouth shut,” a choked up man shared.
“Aunt Donna made the best cowboy cookies and homemade cinnamon rolls,” praised a nephew.
“I loved eating at her house,” stated another grown man.
“She loved serving behind the scenes,” shared another.
“She loved working on the farm,” offered a friend.
“She was a great time manager,” stated one of my sisters.
“She loved balancing neighbors’ check books,” said another sister.
“Mom knew where Dad and we five kids were at all times,” I added.
“Mom invented the open door policy in feeding others,” stated my brother.
“She welcomed me to the family and I felt like she was my mom,” said a cousin-in-law.
My heart swelled in pride as these words rang true to what I saw of my mother’s life.
Let me leave you with questions.
- Is there one thing you can thank your mother for if she is still alive?
- Can you thank her for life, for laughter, for pain, for a talent, a gift, a fun memory, for giving you a sibling, one little thing or many things?
- By giving thanks for one thing, you might just be able to find two or three.
- I suggest you forgive her too if there is a wound. Then give thanks where you can, to celebrate her life.
Is there something that helped you from this post?
If you are stuck in grief, I do offer coaching in that area as a Grief-loss Coach Schedule a free 30 minute session to talk about what would work for you!
Happy Mother’s Day!
