With my head on a bed rail, holding my Mother's warm hand and a heavenly sky in the foreground, one of my cherished thoughts took me to December 22nd and one of those many nights she woke me to walk her to the bathroom at my house,
"You're a good kid." she said, as she carefully sat down on the seat.
"Thanks, Ma," as I sat on the bath tub across from her and she held my arm for support, and began the banter that often made our frequent night bathroom trips bearable and funny, "You trying to butter me up for something?"
Ignoring my jest, she leaned closer, squinting to see me better and touched my face with both hands, "I'm going to hate to leave you."
"Where you going, Ma? Got a hot date?"
Shaking her head gently, "No... I'm going to die."
And that night, like I so often did, I laid my head against her head, and moistly prayed.
I wish you would have gotten all your wishes, Ma. Wish I could have done better by you. Wish you would have had the opportunity to be that junior high teacher and principal. Wish you would have had more of your cherished independence. But you got your tired wish, Ma. No more Pravachol, Ampicillin, Lisinopril, Coumadin, Lovastatin, Epigen, blood transfusions. No more pushing yourself to exercise, to walk. No more missing your friends who passed away or praying for those sick and hurting. No more crying to see Bubba.
You are no longer a frail human. You are something more. It is us, your fragile kids, family and friends who are doing the missing... And Ma, you were the best teacher and principal I ever had... Mama dear, I love and miss you.
In the summers, Marlene and I would take Mom back to her Parma house and friends she loved. In her last summer, Marlene took Ma for a "rich bitches weekend at the Cleveland Ritz." Ma could use words like that now and even tell dirty jokes, the meanings which she often didn't understand, because as she often said, "Once you're over 70, you can say anything you want," kind of like the Ma of the Golden Girls which she so enjoyed watching. Mary Jane Mendlick, who loved hearing from and sharing jokes with Ma, remembered that weekend.
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
