For My Mother

“Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” – Matthew 25:13

My mother recently became very ill. She lived alone 1600 miles away from me. When my brother visited her and discovered her in a confused state, he called an ambulance. She was admitted to the hospital.

Eventually she returned home with Hospice care. I didn’t make it to her in time. I thought she would have a few more days, but I was too late.

There is no way to describe the pain and the grief. The regret that I wasn’t there. The pain at losing my mother who was also one of my best friends. 

I cry and I pray. 

And I sit in my chair with a box of tissues and my mother’s favorite stuffed animal – Winnie the Pooh. I feel like a little girl, crying, wanting her mommy to come home.

It is so true. We do not know the day or the hour.

I have a granddaughter who will be 2 years old in a few months. My mother never had a chance to meet her but I sent her tons of pictures and videos. When my granddaughter comes to visit, I go to my bedroom and bring out Winnie the Pooh for her to hug and play with. I have been doing that since she was born and she doesn’t seem interested in any other stuffed animal. Pooh Bear is it.

My mother would approve.

Tagged as: grief, love, mother