THE LAST MILE OF THE JOURNEY

Mom passed very quietly and peacefully at 3:10 pm this afternoon, with my sister, Linda, on one side of her and I on the other. Family members had come to visit and say their goodbyes and had left. My daughter, Jennifer, was there as well and she was a great support. There was a lot of noise in the room caused by machines for oxygen and the air mattress on which she rested. My daughter left the room for a few minutes to allow Linda and I time alone with Mom. During that time I asked that the machines be turned off. They were not life sustaining. Mom was breathing on her own during this last phase of her journey and it was good to have all that noise stopped. I had taken a CD player and music along, so as things in the room became quieter, I asked the Hospice nurse if she'd put on a CD of soft music. I had, on the spur of the moment, grabbed a CD by Michael Card as I left the house, and I'd previously added a note inside the CD cover that listed #11, "I Will Bring You Home", as the song I'd really like to be played for Mom. As that song played, Linda and I talked to Mom and told her it was time for her to let go and that all of us would be just fine. Her breathing became more and more shallow, and exactly as the song ended, she let go and breathed her last. It was one of the most peaceful things I'd ever experienced. The Hospice nurse said she'd been present when many people had ceased breathing but had never observed anything quite like that. I don't know how I knew to have the noise stopped, how I knew which CD to take along, or how I'd been so sure she was going to leave us this day, but I just knew. Thank you all my family and friends for your caring words of support and encouragement. They were (and are) greatly appreciated.

MOM AND DAD IN 1945