It's been almost two months since Mom passed away. Her apartment has now gone to someone else. Her car is now proudly driven by her granddaughter. A single rose from her funeral spray sits on the mantle of my fireplace. At the funeral, I told the guests that over the past few months I had been preparing myself to say good-bye to my hero; I just figured I had a few more years to figure out how to do it. But I should have known better.
Mom was a woman of great pride and resilience. She was not the kind of person to ask anyone for help - even if she needed it. She hated the thought of "being an inconvenience" to anyone and if she had been cognitively aware of what the next few years would have held in her battle with Alzheimer's Disease, she would have much rather drifted off in her sleep without the fanfare of bringing in family or dealing with the slow decline of eventually losing her faculties. As it turned out, that is exactly what happened! She ended up passing from this world in her own home in dignity.
Her last day out was with friends going to the senior center. She was in a great mood when I went to visit her at her apartment. My last words to her were, "I love you Mom" and her last words to me were, "I don't know what I would do without you. I love you too." To anyone's knowledge, that was the last conversation she had with anyone on the face of the planet.
Mom was my hero for a number of reasons. How many kids could grow up saying their mom worked for cool places like the FBI, the CIA and the French Embassy? Later on in life, how many kids could say their mom out-sold all the other salespeople in her team of salesmen or owned her own real estate company and her own dairy shop?
Mom was my hero because she could do cool things like say the alphabet backwards in less than 20 seconds. But the biggest reason Mom was my hero, was that she introduced me to her Savior, Jesus and sparked in me an interest to learn more about Him.
While I hate the fact that Mom is no longer with me on earth, I revel in the fact that her memory has been restored, her smile is brighter than ever, the energy and health she once craved is now stronger than ever, and at this moment, I am convinced she is on some heavenly adventure.
Mom had spent the past few years hoping to find some kind of financial windfall. While none of her ideas ever panned out, sometime during the day on November 18, 2007, she drifted off to sleep in her bed and woke up in the presence of the Living God in a place the Bible describes as having streets of gold and wealth beyond her wildest dreams!
It's been almost two months now. I'm not over it. I'm not doing great. But I'm doing better. As for Mom - she wouldn't come back if she had the chance! Thank you Mom for introducing me to Jesus! I know He prepared a home for you, and He is getting one ready for me as well. I'll see you on the other side!
