My Mother

I find it so hard to believe that my mother has been gone almost a year. It will be Sunday, March 6. When I think back to a year ago, I don’t know how I survived. My mother had fallen at assisted living and even though she had not broken her hip, she could not raise up or walk, much less feed herself. I was in a turmoil of what to do. My husband, Charles, was in a wheelchair and I knew that the end was getting near for him and I couldn’t bear the thoughts of my mother downstairs on hospice and my husband upstairs on hospice. I decided to bring my mother to my house. The ambulance got her here about 5:30 p.m. and she had a wonderful time with two of her sisters, Genell and Reida, and Leon, Debbie, and Kristin. Leon brought Charles downstairs and my mother knew who he was and she had not seen him in about 6 months. In fact, my mother was more lucid than she had been in the past 2 or 3 years. Genell cooked her fried chicken, gravy, homemade biscuits, mashed potatoes and my mother just ate and ate. They all laughed and joked. I didn’t get to spend very much time with her because I had to go back to the assisted living and get her medicine, some clothes, and tell my dad she was at my house.

I came back home and everyone was leaving. Debbie was making my mother comfortable and washing her off. My mother asked if she could have one more biscuit and gravy. I fixed what I had left and she said, boy that Genell sure is stingy with her gravy. We called Genell to see if she had more gravy at her house and she sent more. I told my mother that Debbie was going to spoil her and she said that Debbie had already done that.

Debbie spent the night and checked on her throughout the night. My mother was dreaming of more biscuits and gravy and two country fried eggs for breakfast.

The next morning I ran down the steps to see if she was ok and Debbie and I looked in on her and she was snoring like a freight train. I sat downstairs and Debbie and I talked for a little while and then I said I had better go back upstairs and get dressed and see about Charles. Debbie said she would go ahead and wake my mother. As soon as she walked in my mother’s room, she said it was totally quiet. My mother was gone. She was at my house less than 24 hours and never woke up again.

I could not believe it. My consolation to this day is my mother kept saying, “I am so happy Diane brought me home.”

Now my dad is on hospice and I’m so afraid he’s going to make this March another one I won’t be able to forget.

Life is short. It’s much shorter than I have every imagined. Live everyday to the fullest and be good to your mom and dad, they may not be here tomorrow.

DR
3/4/11