Here and Now GONE! My Mom! Part Eleven

Mother passed away a year after Dad. Warren took care of her and I know he would always remember the time they spent together. I traveled from Virginia to Florida to see Mother lying in a hospital bed in Warren’s den. Hospice had already been involved and I was glad Warren had assistance in meeting Mother’s needs the last few days of her life. Our older brothers, Marvin and Keith had been called with my oldest child, Michelle, arriving from Pennsylvania. She had not attended her grandfather’s funeral, well Mitch and Marie, my son and younger daughter had. Mitch and Marie didn’t want to see their grandmother one last time, because remember their grandfather lying in his coffin had been too much for them and they weren’t ready to see their grandmother in one. I decided not to encourage them to come. They knew what they were capable of handling. Mitch and Marie wanted to cherish their memories of Grandmother as still being alive. I stayed with Mother until the very end. Before she passed, Warren and I witnessed a huge owl sitting on Warren’s storage shed in his backyard. An owl is known for showing up before someone dies taking their soul to heaven. Of course, all of that was just a myth, but I couldn’t help but wonder “why” the owl was there. I had never seen an owl so close like this! On this evening of August 5th, Mother passed away. Mother’s body had shut down soon after she had a chance to see all four of her children and her oldest grandchild. Before I held her hand for the last time, she asked me to say “hello” to Uncle Steve and Aunt Dot. Both had passed away years ago. The last time I’d seen Uncle Steve, I was fifteen years old and as for seeing Aunt Dot, I had been six years old. Of course, I didn’t see them, but in reflective glare, I bet I would have! I held Mother’s hand for only a brief time before she told me it was time for her to go. I released her hand and Mother was no longer Mother. Something had taken over. Mother no longer spoke and if you decided to touch her, she’d grabbed your hand with so much force and jerked it away. I knew whatever it was, wasn’t Mother. Mother had left and something else was still inside has, going through the act of breathing and blinking one’s eyes. At that time, the nurse had taken over checking vital signs, etc.rnThe next day, Mother was in a coma, and that evening, August 5th, Mother stopped breathing. I know Mother comes for visits and leave a sign, such as a penny here and there. Mother believed in saving every penny, as well as safety pins. Recently, I came across a small attachment of safety pins tucked inside a drawer.rnI’ve mentioned in a previous entry about seeing an apparition of her in my downstairs bathroom and vivid dreams I’ve had. For our dearly departed have not vanished, they are just on the other side. Check out Ms. Oberne’s Work-in-Progress, “The Birth of Jesus and Beyond.” FREE to READrnhttps://www.inkitt.com/stories/640601