My Mothers Last Gift

    I am going to tell you something that happened to me back in August of 2000. I am not making this up it really happened. You can believe or not, that is totally up to you.
    My sister called me the later part of June. I had only been back from visiting my mother a couple of days. Since my sister lived only 24 miles from my mother I was surprised to hear from her. But, that quickly vanished as she told me that my mother's cancer was back. We had thought she had been cured of breast cancer, but it had in fact spread to her lungs and liver.
    The night before she had been in a lot of pain and had went to the emergency room. There they had run tests on her and found the cancer. As soon as I hung up the phone I told my husband and started packing to leave the following morning.
    It took me sixteen hours to drive there, but the time didn't seem all that long as I worried about my mother. Even though she was 79 years old I didn't want to lose her. She was not only my mother, but also my best friend. When she came to visit me, we would sit and play cards, laugh and joke for hours. She had been my rock when my oldest daughter had died seven years before.
    When I got to my mothers I found that the medicine helped with the pain, but she seemed to be weak. She had a hard time getting around and tired very easily. This was such a dramatic change from the week before that I was totally shocked. When I looked back I realized that she had complained of feeling weak and a shortness of breath throughout the last year of her life. My sister had told her a number of times to go to the doctor, but she was always busy helping someone else and didn't have time. Now she truly didn't have time for it was quickly running out for her.
    My sister had to work, but every night she would drive over to be with Mom and cook her wonderful dinners that Mom could hardly touch. My Aunt and cousin were coming from back east to be with Mom for a week so it was decided that I should go back home and come back when they were gone.
    When I got back home I got on the Internet and started searching for articles about the cancer my mother had. I called my sister and told her that what I had found wasn't it good. It said that Mom had six weeks to live from the time she had gone into the emergency room. My sister didn't really believe me, but I kept telling her I was coming back that I didn't care if my Aunt and cousin was there that I would stay somewhere else. I just wanted to be with Mom.
    I flew into Seattle and took a shuttle to within a couple of blocks where Mom lived and my sister picked me up. She was glad to see me; she said that Mom had taken a turn for the worst. Mom was now in bed more than she was out and had to have someone help her so she wouldn't fall.
    My Aunt and cousin left a couple of days later. Mom and I spent the days alone with my sister coming over as soon as she got off work. We had gotten Mom a hospital bed and my nephews had taken her bed out of the apartment. It was a senior's apartment and had only one bedroom. I had fixed myself a bed in the front room, not using the sofa bed because of my bad back. We could see that Mom was slipping away from us so my sister took time off of work. We called my brother and explained to him that Mom was now in a semi-coma and that he should come see her.
    My Mom and sister had decided that Mom would stay home and we would have hospice come in to check on her. The nurses called and came over everyday. I could tell that Mom didn't have that much time left. When my brother called that night he said that he would be flying in the following day and if I would pick him up at the airport. I told him to take the shuttle and I would pick him up at the hotel nearby.
    The next day when I went to pick up my brother I was angry and in a hurry. I didn't want to pick him up; I wanted to spend all my time with my Mom. I was afraid that she would die while I was gone. Letting the anger overtake me, I was driving fast and paying no attention to what I was doing. Suddenly, I felt a warm and loving feeling come over me. The feeling of love and well being surrounded me, as if in slow motion the car started slowing down and I could feel my foot going off the gas pedal and going on to the break. I felt like I was watching a movie as I noticed that the light was red and a car streak through the intersection. I don't know if it was Jesus, my guardian angel, or my deceased daughter but someone had been looking out for me. It they hadn't I would have run the red light and been hit by that car. I didn't have my seat belt on so I am quite sure I would have been killed.
    When I got to the hotel my brother had missed that shuttle; I called my sister and told her what had happened. She told me that my brother had called and would be on the next shuttle.
    During the following week my Mom slowly slipped from us. But, during that time a peace would come over her room and we knew that all would be fine. We knew that my mother would be in the loving arms of God before to long. Two nights before she passed away my sister, brother and myself were setting in the room with her. We were talking softly and during one of the quiet spells the room was filled with so much love and peacefulness that I felt what a blessing it was to be there.
    My sister stayed up with my Mom the following night and around six thirty in the morning she woke me up so that she could get some sleep. We had decided that there should always be someone with Mom, so when her time came she wouldn't be alone. I sat there for a while and the low hum of the fan in her room started to get on my nerves. It was such a beautiful summer morning. I turned off the fan, opened the curtains and opened the window slightly. I told Mom that it was a beautiful day. As I turned to look at her I noticed that her breathing had changed. I watched as she slowly took her last breath. There was so much peace in the room that I didn't move for a couple of minutes. (My Mother had given me one last gift.) Then I heard my brother come into the apartment and went and told him that Mom was gone. My sister heard me and got up, we all went back into Moms room and thanked the Lord for taking our Mother and not letting her suffer.
    The time I spent with my Mother was very precious. The incident with the car is always in the back of my mind. I have absolutely no fear of death. I am looking forward to that wonderful feeling of love and peace again, when it is my time to go. Because of that wonderful gift my Mother has given to me.