Poems, Personal Stories, and Observations

Posts tagged ‘hope’

My mother’s last days

10/27/12 Saturday
Mom went to intensive care tonight, on a BPAP machine (helps her to breathe). She was having spasms due to lack of oxygen to the brain, I think. I’m hoping to drive to Kaiser Hospital in Roseville tomorrow to see her. Her health has not been well and it may be that all of us kids will be with her tomorrow. My husband Tom is on a trip, so please pray that everyone is safe in their travels, that God’s will be done regarding my mother, and that we will be a comfort to her.

10/28/12 Sunday
On Sunday, she had an about an hour of wakefulness at one point. She repeated three times, “Heaven is the only goal”. Then she blessed each one of us kids individually, with a special word for each one. I’m so grateful we had that time.

10/30/12 Tuesday (don’t know where Monday went)
Tuesday was a very good day for mom, emotionally and spiritually speaking. A person from the local church prayed with her, as they do every day. Also, a priest friend of hers called from Africa! I held the phone to her ear and she smiled. She seemed much more peaceful throughout the day. she would smile at us with love when awake, but could only speak one word now and then. Her smile lights up the room! More smiles than I’ve seen on the previous days.

10/31/12
Her best friend from El Cerrito visited her. Tom decided the previous day to cancel his trip and arrived a bit earlier. A harpist [part of the Kaiser Roseville chaplaincy department] came and played for about 1/2 an hour! Lots of prayer and thanks for yours.

11/1/12
Mom was still with us in the morning. She developed a fever and a problem with one of her IVs, but they got all that under control.

She passed away peacefully at about 3:30 p.m. A hospital chaplain had happened (?) to come in and realized that she was passing. I was out in the hallway and they yelled for me. All of her children (four of us), two spouses and two girlfriends were there. Amazing that we all got to be there.

Thank you so much for your prayers for her and our family. I am joyful in the sense that she’s now free of any suffering and with Jesus in heaven, but sad about her leaving us.

A Far and Distant Land

There is a far and distant land

Of which we all must dream

Where tears turn into diamonds

And laughter runs in streams

Where children play along that shore

And dance in bright sunbeams

 

Where hungers are all satisfied

And wounds long held do mend

Where strife and sin are but a dream

And troubled thoughts at end

 

There is a far and distant land

To which we all must look

And if I knew it very well

I’d write it in a book

‘Til then while life’s strains take up time

Our hope is in that land divine

 

April 12, 2012

A Far and Distant Land

There is a far and distant land

Of which we all must dream,

Where tears turn into diamonds

And laughter flows in streams,

Where children play along the shore

And dance in bright sunbeams.

Where hungers are all satisfied

And long-held wounds are healed,

Where sin and strife are but a dream

And troubled thoughts have ceased.

There is a far and distant land

To which we all must look,

And if I knew it very well

I’d write it in a book.

‘Til then while life’s strains take up time,

Our hope is in that land divine