Hospice

(The Night My Mom Passed Away)

The night my mama crossed over to the other side.

Riding in the car that night,

seemed like the longest drive of my entire life.

As Dad and I drove along the pathway of trees,

down old River Road in Maumee.

Mom she had cancer you see.

So her last days were spent in hospice.

It was late, the middle of the night,

when the phone call came in.

It was my sister at the other end of the telephone line.

She said I needed to come right away,

that I needed to let our mom go.

So when we finally arrived,

all our family and friends were there.

Waiting for me.

To say my last good byes.

The old red brick building had sort of an elegance.

With it's tall white pillars and stone foundation.

Like a southern mansion.

A much better place to die than a hospital room.

Much more dignified than the nursing home would have been.

Thank heaven we were able to bring her home, and here to this place.

As I walk through the large white doors with stained glass windows,

I enter a candlelit parlor, which leads to the den and a fireplace.

You can see everyone's been shedding tears.

I hug my sister as dad goes to see mom for the very last time.

I just want to be by her side, it's like she waited for us to arrive.

As I walk into her room, my father hugs me tenderly.

I walk over to her bed and kiss her on the cheek.

Under the influence of morphine she is asleep and cannot speak.

So I reach down and lift her ever so gently into my arms.

And I say "Mom please open your eyes, just one more time."

But she can't, and a few tears run down my face.

The release of my sorrow and my mourning for her.

I know I must say good bye.

Instead, I say "Mom, I'll try to be good like you taught me too.

Please always remember how very much I love you."

I could feel her presence as she breathed her last breath,

as she died in my arms.

I guess my sister was right, when she said I needed to let mom go.

 

By: Deborah Krempa

Reviews

[A LaDy NaMeD D]

This is sad and touching, i'm glad you were able to say goodbye, because some people don't have the chance to.

dANNI J

[Samuel Dickens]

A touching tale, debileah, and one that sounds an awful lot like my own, except it was my father. It's wonderful that you were there with your mother during her last moments.

[Justin Tobey]

A beautiful story. I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm fortunate enough to have both my parents, but my grandma passed away a few years, and this brought up the memories of her last days. Thank you for sharing your experience.

[George Love]

Very well expressed, nicely done.

[Suelou]

Oh I know that was the hardest thing a person could ever have to do. Saying good-bye never has been an easy thing to do. I am so sorry.