Hard One to Write…

Sorry for the delay, yet again, but things have been rough as of late.

In the midst of getting ready to sell our beloved home, preparing to start a new job in July, and our youngest getting her first apartment, life found a way to cast a shadow over all of this and put them back in perspective.

This past Wednesday, my mother passed away.

We had just enough warning that her health was failing quickly for my brother and me to get there. She held on, asleep and unresponsive, for days. Her breathing steady and determined. We stayed with her one night, talking and reminiscing about things we felt she’d enjoy hearing, all the while watching and listening.

The next morning, after a couple that had known her for years came to visit, my brother and I pulled up chairs on opposite sides of her bed, and gently held her hands.

I felt one finger curl around my hand as I took hers, one of only two to times she had moved at all, in days.

It was only two or three more minutes before her breathing began to slow … then stop … and our mother had found her peace.

She was always focused, determined, and stubborn. I suppose I should not be surprised that she would hold on until she knew we were there, with her, before letting go.

Hard to put into words the feelings that come with this. She had a hard life, to be sure, and I know I didn’t make it any easier, in my youth. I only hope that she always remembered the laughs, the shared moments, and the love we had for her in our hearts.

Rest now, mom. I know that you’re surrounded by the cold winds, the raging seas, and the carrying sound of the pipers, where you are now, and that you’re smiling as you revel in those things that you most enjoyed.