Tag Archives: caring

last days, mother, my mom, , ,
Mama and friends at her 90th birthday celebration
Mama and friends at her 90th birthday celebration

My mama passed away May 14, 2014. I’ve been thinking about that for a few days now; that date is coming fast.  It hardly seems possible it has been almost two years! I am so thankful that I got to repay her in her last days in a small way for her care and love for me throughout my life.

We had an impromptu party for her 90th birthday and many friends came to the donut shop, her favorite place, to wish her happy birthday.  She loved it. She didn’t have the energy to do this the next year when she turned 91. I’m glad we did it when she could enjoy it! Here is a poem to honor this special lady in those last few months.

MAMA’S LAST MONTHS

She walks slower now,
unsteady unless she has her walker.
She forgets to use it;
I watch carefully so she won’t fall;
She talks more quietly,
so it is hard to follow her thoughts.
She doesn’t understand when I ask her
to clarify what she is telling me.
Her attention wanders more easily;
The Waltons doesn’t hold it as well.
Her favorite place to go is the donut shop.
She wants to order two donuts,
even though she doesn’t even finish one,
and only drinks a couple sips of her coffee,
even though they are favorite foods.
Arthritis pain assaults her neck;
it is her constant companion.
Time seems a blur to her–
who came and when, it puzzles her.
It seems it is time for her to go home,
but God hasn’t called her yet.
She feels her life has no purpose now,
I must admit I don’t understand either,
but God has His mysteries, dealt in wisdom.
And in His wisdom, He has me here,
caring for her, teaching me through the pain of love
that He does indeed care for her.

SAFETY

Finish It, safety, ,

Thanks to Author S B Mazing for the prompt for Finish It #10. Here is her beginning of the story:
He looked in her eyes. He could see the sparkle in them, something that always had fascinated him. She had the most beautiful eyes, eyes that seemed like windows to her soul. No matter what he felt, when he looked in her eyes, he immediately relaxed. She smiled at him and he had to smile as well. What a wonderful person she was. Smart, strong, loving and so so pretty. They hugged and again he felt her love, the warmth. A feeling he got whenever they hugged. It was strange but she made him feel safe. How could she make him feel safe? He was supposed to make her feel safe.
Please continue…

He gazed into the campfire. Soon, the church group campfire would break up and everyone would go home. He didn’t want her to leave. He wanted to stay like this forever, in the night air by the warmth of the campfire, looking into her eyes and seeing her smile.

“It is so nice here,’ she said. “It is a wonderful night for a campfire.” She giggled. “And toasted marshmellows.”

He didn’t want to get up, away from the safety of presence, but what she wished was his command. “As you wish, m‘lady,” he said, rising to get a marshmallow.

“Oh, you are wonderful,” she said as he stuck the marshmallow on her stick.

“What’s more, m’lady, I will toast it for you. All for a smile.”

She giggled again. “Oh, my Sir Lancelot. And here is your payment.” She flashed a smile.

He put the marshmallow in the fire and let it catch fire, then blew out. He didn’t like his blackened, but he knew she loved hers that way with the gooey inside. He handed the stick to her and sat back beside her.

She bowed her head slightly. “You are a most worthy knight,” she teased.

“At your service.”

“Delicious. Just the way I like it,” she said as she licked the remaining marshmallow off her fingers. Before he could say anything, she looked at him without her smile. “I feel so safe with you. I have never felt that way before.”

“You feel safe with me?” He tried to sound nonchalant. He never expected her to say what he had been thinking about her.

“Mm, hmm. You are always so kind and caring. We’ve known each since childhood and you have always been that way, not just to me; I’ve seen it with others. I trust you.”

The group leader spoke up. “Well, gang, time for one last group song and then closing prayer. Hope you’ve all had a great time.”

As the group sang the last song, he thought about what she said. Perhaps the feeling of safety was reciprocal when two people cared about each other. He joined in the singing, with more understanding of what it meant to love someone.