The love of visiting mom

Visiting my mom always is exciting, I build up going to my hometown as something so great. Once I get there, it hits me, I’m a stranger in this town. I love to see my mom and step dad and helping anyway I can. Mom is on hospice, so there is a lot to do to help her. It’s hard to watch your parents go through this process, my step dad had me read the hospice pamphlet about the end stage. I remembered reading it when my dad was at this stage in 1997, it was so helpful to un-derstand, hospice is wonderful, her nurse comes to the house twice per week, unless there is an emergency.

I remember when dad was at the end, hospice suggested that our family gather around him and talk about old times and laugh, even though he seems like he can’t hear you, he can.

I thought, how are we going to do that in this painful time? My brother Dave and his kids Jason and Heather were there and my daughter Mary, who was 16 and my step brother Ken and Step mom Dolores were there.

We took out old photo albums of our childhood and the laughter began. Our kids were laughing at our hair and our clothes, it makes me smile thinking about that afternoon. I went to the kitchen and made chicken enchiladas and all the fixings, when I came back , I sent everyone to the dining room to eat, I knelt down and held dad’s hand and prayed with him. My daughter Mary popped back in the room and he took his last breath on this earth, it was peaceful and calm, we were sad but we knew he was with our Father. Absent from the body present with our Father, that quick and on to eternity with Christ. I can’t wait to see him again.