Last year at this time we experienced a heart wrenching ordeal watching my mother battle the last stages of Cancer. She was so sick that it was difficult for her to leave the nursing home at Christmas but she went to my brothers on Christmas Day. My Inlaws were celebrating their 74th Wedding Anniversary in Illinois on Christmas Eve so I was in Illinois. It was hard because my heart was with my Mother, knowing that this was her last Christmas. I was really torn. We left for Michigan right after Christmas. By New Years she could not leave the nursing home. We did our best to bring the spirit of the season to her. We tried to have someone with her most of the time that she was awake. She could not eat much so she was not interested in food. She just wanted our company. She has 6 kids and a hoard of Grandkids, so she had lots of company. It was the only good thing about being laid off last year for me, it meant that I could spend as much time with her as I wanted to.
We had her small Christmas tree decorated and took it to her. She had at times during her illness been known to wander and she had fallen while getting out of bed so the nursing home had installed an alarm on her bed so they knew when she got up. When we visited, there was always was a group of us it seemed and not enough chairs for us all to sit. She would always invite one of us to sit on the bed with her as we visited often not remembering about the alarm. Eventually you would want to get up and your movement would sound the alarm and the duty nurse would stick her head in the door to see what was going on. Sheepishly we would smile and tell her we were sorry… again…
She received a lot of Christmas cards and lots of attention from us which seemed to make her happy. If she knew that it was her last Christmas she never let on. She was bound and determined that she was going to get better. She took her last breath on January 4, 2009. We miss her dearly but she gets to spend Christmas with Dad and Jesus this year! Love you Mom and Dad!
thanks Jan. Nice write up. Brings tears, good tears..... Stopped by cemetary on the way home after New Years and snow blowing and drifted over their grave stone. It was beautiful and eerie at the same time. Miss them.... Matt
ReplyDeleteI miss her too!
ReplyDelete