| Remembering Mother by Karen Jordan |
| When I arrived at Mother’s doorstep, I heard loud wails and intense sobbing inside. I recognized my mother’s voice, so I opened the door and rushed in without knocking. Mother sat on the edge of her rocking chair with her hands covering her face. My sister, Cathy, frowned and shrugged her shoulders as our eyes met. She sat next to Mother on a stool, tissues in hand, ready to provide whatever comfort she would accept. “Mother?” I hurried across the room and embraced her. “She’s been like this all day,” Cathy explained as she fought back the tears. Some undiagnosed disease was destroying my mother’s mind. Confusion and darkness ruled her thoughts. And as I knelt down to hug her, she melted into my arms. “Mother, are you afraid of dying?” I felt her fear surrounding us. “No…of living!” Mother had faced death before and survived. But a few years earlier, when her heart failed during surgery, Mother caught a glimpse of the horror of dying without any assurance of Heaven. Mother said that the darkness and horrific ordeal terrified her and forced her to face the emptiness of her faith. Afterward, she discovered the missing link in her spiritual life—Jesus Christ. As Mother faced her terminal illness, fear and doubts flooded her consciousness again. Would Jesus provide an answer to alleviate her fear this time? Could she really trust Him to be with her as she walked through the valley of her impending death? I couldn’t save Mother from her disease, but I could choose to trust the Lord to walk with us all through it. As God reminded me of His promises, I recalled His faithfulness through the years. And as we walked though Mother’s last days, God once again provided all that we needed. Sitting with my mother on her sofa one day near the end of her journey, I noticed her eyes fixed on the high ceiling in her townhouse. “What do you see, Mother?” “Heaven,” she responded without changing her expression. Shocked by her answer, I asked, “What does it look like?” “Huge,” she sighed. What a perfect description of Heaven, I thought. Mother remained silent after sharing her vision of Heaven with me, but I knew she was convinced of her final destination. |
Karen Jordan resides in Arkansas with her husband, Dan. They have two married children
and six grandchildren. In addition to writing, she teaches writing at the University of
Arkansas at Little Rock. You can contact her at kj@karenjordan.net or visit
www.karenjordan.net.
and six grandchildren. In addition to writing, she teaches writing at the University of
Arkansas at Little Rock. You can contact her at kj@karenjordan.net or visit
www.karenjordan.net.
| www.marymaywrites.com |
