I may have posted this somewhere before, but maybe on OLD Tweb. (This all happened about 10 years ago)
My Mom had advanced diabetes, and had lost her vision for the most part. In her late 70's, Mom would have Dad type up the prayer list from the Church in HUGE font so Mom could see it, and she would close herself in her "prayer room" (a spare bedroom she had dad convert to her prayer room) and spend HOURS every day praying for the people and situations on the prayer list.
Eventually, one of my sisters called me from Ohio (where she and my parents live) and asked when I was coming to visit our parents again. I generally try to visit them at least twice a year, and occasionally will fly them to Texas for a visit here.
I could tell she was concerned about something, but she just said, "I just think you should come and visit Mom, cause I'd like your opinion about something".
Over the next few weeks, I began to find out what that "something" was -- Mom, supposedly, was becoming delusional, and Dad was having a hard time managing her. Mom would "go out of her head" for a period of time, then be "normal" again. Dad had to call 911 on a few occasions, one in which Mom jerked away from Dad and fell and injured her hip.
Kathy, my baby sister, called and said Mom was in a convalescent home, because Dad couldn't manage her. I flew to Ohio, rented a car, and went straight to the convalescent home.
I walked into my Mom's room, and her eyes brightened up. She was in a hospital bed, but looked fine. We had a wonderful conversation, and I was having a hard time figuring out what she was doing there - she seemed totally "in her mind", and genuinely glad to see me.
Then she got a puzzled look on her face, and said in a halting voice, "you seem like a very nice man, but who are you?"
I felt like a ton of bricks had fallen on me.
I walked over to her night stand, picked up a picture of "us kids", and pointed to myself in the picture. I said, "Mom, I'm this one... I'm your baby boy". She burst into tears, and said, "Oh, CP, I'm so sorry, I forget things, but I could NEVER forget you...." And she was in her right head again.
We continued to talk, she was very coherent, then suddenly that puzzled look, and she seemed to be looking at my right and left hands which were at my side. She asked, "are those children with you?" (there were, of course, no children)
Things went downhill from there, and just a few months later, I found myself flying to Ohio again, because she had had some kind of stroke or heart attack or something. I decided to stay in Ohio til she got out of the hospital.
She continued to decline, and one day we had a consult with her doctor who told me "she won't leave the hospital alive, and she won't last much longer". It was Sunday night.
I pulled myself together, then went and sat by mom's bed, along with my baby sister. Mom woke up and looked at me, and I asked her how she was doing. She smiled and said, "oh, CP, I'm doing so much better - I'm going HOME on Tuesday".
I looked at my sis, who looked as puzzled as I felt, and I turned back to Mom. Having just been told by the doctor that she won't be leaving the hospital alive, I asked her, "Mom, who told you that?" She smiled, and said softly, "Jesus did".
At 2:15 AM on June 21, 2005 - Tuesday Morning- my Mom went home to be with Jesus.
My Mom had advanced diabetes, and had lost her vision for the most part. In her late 70's, Mom would have Dad type up the prayer list from the Church in HUGE font so Mom could see it, and she would close herself in her "prayer room" (a spare bedroom she had dad convert to her prayer room) and spend HOURS every day praying for the people and situations on the prayer list.
Eventually, one of my sisters called me from Ohio (where she and my parents live) and asked when I was coming to visit our parents again. I generally try to visit them at least twice a year, and occasionally will fly them to Texas for a visit here.
I could tell she was concerned about something, but she just said, "I just think you should come and visit Mom, cause I'd like your opinion about something".
Over the next few weeks, I began to find out what that "something" was -- Mom, supposedly, was becoming delusional, and Dad was having a hard time managing her. Mom would "go out of her head" for a period of time, then be "normal" again. Dad had to call 911 on a few occasions, one in which Mom jerked away from Dad and fell and injured her hip.
Kathy, my baby sister, called and said Mom was in a convalescent home, because Dad couldn't manage her. I flew to Ohio, rented a car, and went straight to the convalescent home.
I walked into my Mom's room, and her eyes brightened up. She was in a hospital bed, but looked fine. We had a wonderful conversation, and I was having a hard time figuring out what she was doing there - she seemed totally "in her mind", and genuinely glad to see me.
Then she got a puzzled look on her face, and said in a halting voice, "you seem like a very nice man, but who are you?"
I felt like a ton of bricks had fallen on me.
I walked over to her night stand, picked up a picture of "us kids", and pointed to myself in the picture. I said, "Mom, I'm this one... I'm your baby boy". She burst into tears, and said, "Oh, CP, I'm so sorry, I forget things, but I could NEVER forget you...." And she was in her right head again.
We continued to talk, she was very coherent, then suddenly that puzzled look, and she seemed to be looking at my right and left hands which were at my side. She asked, "are those children with you?" (there were, of course, no children)
Things went downhill from there, and just a few months later, I found myself flying to Ohio again, because she had had some kind of stroke or heart attack or something. I decided to stay in Ohio til she got out of the hospital.
She continued to decline, and one day we had a consult with her doctor who told me "she won't leave the hospital alive, and she won't last much longer". It was Sunday night.
I pulled myself together, then went and sat by mom's bed, along with my baby sister. Mom woke up and looked at me, and I asked her how she was doing. She smiled and said, "oh, CP, I'm doing so much better - I'm going HOME on Tuesday".
I looked at my sis, who looked as puzzled as I felt, and I turned back to Mom. Having just been told by the doctor that she won't be leaving the hospital alive, I asked her, "Mom, who told you that?" She smiled, and said softly, "Jesus did".
At 2:15 AM on June 21, 2005 - Tuesday Morning- my Mom went home to be with Jesus.
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