It will soon be five years since we got the word that Bob’s mother, Jean, was in her last days. She had been living with Alzheimer’s for many years so we were not surprised by the call. We quickly made plans to fly to Houston and woke up on my birthday to make the trip, not sure what the day would hold.
When we arrived, we realized right away that Jean’s journey home had already begun. There was nothing that we needed to do, so we sat with her and talked to her, knowing she could not respond. However, we could tell that she knew we were there. Bob sat up near her head and shoulders and I sat next to him. Before long, I began to notice that each of her breaths became shallower than the last, and so we both began to watch. As we continued to talk to her, a single tear rolled down her cheek. Bob lovingly wiped it away and, after several more breaths, she simply took no more. Her journey was complete.
Bob and I had only been there 45 minutes. We felt without a doubt that she had waited for us to come and we knew that things would get hectic once the nursing staff knew she was gone. We were not ready, so we sat with her, cried, and remembered, while we gave thanks for her life, her love, and all that she meant to us. It was a treasured gift and we were grateful to be with her as she was welcomed into the arms of Jesus Christ, her Beloved Savior.
Of all of the times Bob and I have made hospital visits and stood by a bedside to pray, we had never been with anyone when they actually passed from this life into life eternal. Although Jean’s last years had been incredibly tough, her last moments were peaceful and beautiful. She had spent her life living her faith and she was ready. It was a sacred moment that I will never forget.
Many people told me they were so sorry that Jean died on my birthday and that my birthday would never be the same. In my heart, I saw it quite differently! Jean and I had always been very close and the special bond between us would be forever significant – the day of my birth was also the day of her birth into her forever life. Christ died to give us life eternal and that promise of hope brought us comfort and peace. On that day we discovered we could hold the feelings of both grief and gratitude in the same moment.
Marsha Long, Director of Hospitality Ministries
