On June 12 2009, it will be 30 years since my mother died. I still remember that day as if it happened yesterday.
It was the first day of summer vacation. I had just finished the 10th grade. My mother had undergone surgery in April of that year. She appeared to be getting better. She wasn't.
On a Sunday morning in April 1979 I was awakened by my father. He had told me that something was wrong with mom and he had just taken her to the hospital. He came back to let me know where he had been. He told me the doctors checked her in to a hospital room and were administering test to find out why she was suffering bad stomach pain. We eventually found out what the cause was ( I don't remember the details, it was all doctors speak). Anyways, she had to undergo surgery. After a week or so, she returned home and began a long recovery period. As days turned to weeks, she still complained she did not feel good. My father encouraged her to return to the doctor to find out if she was healing properly. She refused. I believe she was scared about what she would find out. My mother was the type of person that was difficult to get her to go anywhere. During our vacations, she didn't want to go anywhere. She would stay in the hotel and let me and my dad go out to enjoy wherever we were visiting. My mother didn't smile very much but she did love us.
In June of 1979, my father had awakened me again. It was early in the morning. I knew something was wrong. He told me he needed my help to get mom in the car and drive her to the hospital because her leg had swollen and was black and blue. I got up. I helped him get her in the car. We drove to the hospital and helped him and an emergency doctor get her in a wheelchair when we arrived. The next thing I remember was looking through the emergency room glass and seeing my mother laying on a operating room table and the doctors were busy brushing something all over her stomach. She looked up at me. And for the first time I can remember she smiled a me. I rarely, if ever, saw my mom smile.
After they brought her into the operating room, my dad took me home. After I got home, my dad returned to the hospital. Later that day, maybe 4 hours or so, the phone rang. It was my dad. He was crying. He told me that mom had died and to call the church so they could pray for us. I did so. My dad didn't come home for several hours. I asked him where he had been. He told me he could not find his way out of the hospital. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to. He wanted to stay with my mom I guess.
My dad died in 1992. He is now with her in Heaven. I look back at that day and cannot forget the way my mom smiled at me. I think it was because while she was lying there, she saw Jesus standing in the corner of that emergency room and told her, "Don't worry. Everything will be alright".
I'm getting up in years myself now. The day will come when I will be lying on my deathbead. Everyone will face that day. The question is how you will face it. My mom faced it with a smile. She knew where she was going. I do too.
Love you mom, see you soon.
It was the first day of summer vacation. I had just finished the 10th grade. My mother had undergone surgery in April of that year. She appeared to be getting better. She wasn't.
On a Sunday morning in April 1979 I was awakened by my father. He had told me that something was wrong with mom and he had just taken her to the hospital. He came back to let me know where he had been. He told me the doctors checked her in to a hospital room and were administering test to find out why she was suffering bad stomach pain. We eventually found out what the cause was ( I don't remember the details, it was all doctors speak). Anyways, she had to undergo surgery. After a week or so, she returned home and began a long recovery period. As days turned to weeks, she still complained she did not feel good. My father encouraged her to return to the doctor to find out if she was healing properly. She refused. I believe she was scared about what she would find out. My mother was the type of person that was difficult to get her to go anywhere. During our vacations, she didn't want to go anywhere. She would stay in the hotel and let me and my dad go out to enjoy wherever we were visiting. My mother didn't smile very much but she did love us.
In June of 1979, my father had awakened me again. It was early in the morning. I knew something was wrong. He told me he needed my help to get mom in the car and drive her to the hospital because her leg had swollen and was black and blue. I got up. I helped him get her in the car. We drove to the hospital and helped him and an emergency doctor get her in a wheelchair when we arrived. The next thing I remember was looking through the emergency room glass and seeing my mother laying on a operating room table and the doctors were busy brushing something all over her stomach. She looked up at me. And for the first time I can remember she smiled a me. I rarely, if ever, saw my mom smile.
After they brought her into the operating room, my dad took me home. After I got home, my dad returned to the hospital. Later that day, maybe 4 hours or so, the phone rang. It was my dad. He was crying. He told me that mom had died and to call the church so they could pray for us. I did so. My dad didn't come home for several hours. I asked him where he had been. He told me he could not find his way out of the hospital. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to. He wanted to stay with my mom I guess.
My dad died in 1992. He is now with her in Heaven. I look back at that day and cannot forget the way my mom smiled at me. I think it was because while she was lying there, she saw Jesus standing in the corner of that emergency room and told her, "Don't worry. Everything will be alright".
I'm getting up in years myself now. The day will come when I will be lying on my deathbead. Everyone will face that day. The question is how you will face it. My mom faced it with a smile. She knew where she was going. I do too.
Love you mom, see you soon.
