Mother’s Day4 Last Words
What are the last words your mother said to you? What would you like them to be?
I did not know these would be the last words, but I hold them close.
Last Words
I didn’t mean to cry—
I promised not to cry—
But as I held her hand and
watched her try so hard to breathe,
suddenly I lay my head
on her soft breast
and sobbed.
The warmth of her body
and the sweet fragrance of her skin
enveloped me.
She strained to pull her emaciated arms
from under the covers
to form a gentle circle
around me.
I felt the faintest flutter
of her bird-like hands
and I knew
she was patting me.
It’s okay to cry, she said.
It will be all right, she said.
And there in that
circle of love, it was.
For one brief, luminous moment
it truly was all right. . .
(Excerpted from The Last Violet: Mourning My Mother, Moving Beyond Regret, copyright 2002 Lois Tschetter Hjelmstad)
Next post I will tell you about the miracle three months later…
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Comments
Lois, that is very powerful. Thank you for sharing…
Thank you so much, Renn.
So, so powerful, Lois. May we treasure all our brief, luminous moments. xx
Thank you, Jan.
So poignant, Lois. Really close to the heart. Thank you for always sharing your personal experiences with the world.
Beautiful, Lois. Just beautiful.
Thank you.