The Day My Mother Died

The day my mother died, we knew death would come soon. My brother and I sat with her all that last day. We knew she could probably hear us, so we spoke to her, but she never responded. She made no movement. Not even a twitch. Nothing. Yet, moments before she died, she opened her eyes wide and focused her attention on a corner of the ceiling. She saw something we couldn’t see. Then she was gone.

The hospice nurse had brought recorded music into the room. I appreciated her thoughtfulness. During her final hours, my mother could listen to the old, familiar hymns. The one I remember playing around the moments of her last breath was, “How Great Thou Art.”

Mom’s death didn’t catch us by surprise. She was 97, and her health had declined over the past several years. Though not unexpected, her death did affect me in an unexpected way. It left me in a little bit of a funk. She was a believer, so I was confident she was with the Lord, but the loss of my mother from this life left a hole in my world. She was my mother. I missed her.

Then, about a month after my mother died, I attended a weekend Christian conference. The speaker scheduled for the first night of the conference did not arrive to speak. Weather delayed her flight from California. Rather than scramble to find a replacement speaker for the night, those in charge of the conference decided we would have a time of worship instead. We spent the evening singing hymns.

It became a wonderful time of worship. We sang the old hymns of our faith, one after another. Eventually we got to “How Great Thou Art.” It was the first time I had sung that hymn since the day my mother died. In that moment, something happened. Of course, the hymn itself caused me to think about my mother. But there was something else. The Lord gave me a vision in my mind. I imagined my mother in some heavenly choir worshiping God in heaven as we were worshiping Him on earth. It was a healing moment. It brought me out of my funk.

The whole experience reminded me God always knows what we think and feel. He knows what we need. He knows what will encourage us. He is faithful to bring us what we need in our souls. The day my mother died was a time of sadness for those of us who had to say goodbye. But death is only a temporary separation from those we will see again in an eternal setting. Even in our losses, God knows how to remind us of hope.

Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Psalm 100:2

 

How has God encouraged you with just what you need? Please leave a comment below.

Blessings,
Phyllis

Copyright 2024 Phyllis L. Farringer

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