4:20 am & still awake

A brief moment and then things end and new things begin, as in the birth of a child, so is the passing of a loved one.

Mom took her last breath at 12:30 am this morning. I was with her all evening. Her breathing was shallow and difficult for her. I said many prayers to let her go and I talked to her some. Mostly I just held her hand.

I told her a story about a handsome man named Sidney and his young bride Beatrice; how they had 5 boys but only one lovely daughter whom they adored and cherished. They named her Joyce, and she grew up to play the piano beautifully. At 17 she left home for college and there met a man who'd returned from the war. His name was Ben Slack. He was tall and had fiery red hair and sang like a master.  They fell in love and married. They named their first child, a girl, after her beloved father. She had four daughters to make up for never having had a sister, and two sons and she loved them all so much. They grew up and found eternal partners too and gave her so many grandchildren she could hardly keep track of them all. She was so blessed, but after Ben died, she missed him and was lonely. She met an old friend Grant Terry and they were married for a time, and she wasn't lonely for awhile. But he died too. Now it is Joyce's turn to follow. Ben is there, close by, waiting to take her as soon as she's ready to go.

Then I reminded her how much Ben adored, admired and loved her. I hope that I eased the way and helped her to think of him at the last.

I'll call everyone in the morning when its a decent time for telephone calls. But I just can't sleep and I needed to say it all out to my own children so they would know. We did our best for her, maybe she would have been better off in another environment, but we felt like we should care for her and we tried to make her as happy and comfortable as we could.

I'm so relieved for her, I can finally think of her again as I remember her, and I'm so glad for her. Thank God for His great plan of happiness.

I love each of you! Thank you for being who you are!