The Best Medicine

Well, I am sorry to report that my mama is not doing well — not well at all. Hard to believe that in March, this same woman was riding in the lead convertible for the Million Queen March, and now, as I said, she is just right poorly. 

I can’t even count all the near-misses we’ve had with Mama lately. I swear, she is At Death’s Very Door, and she just keeps turning around and coming back. Yesterday, she was nearly comatose all day, and I had a long talk with her, because I know she can hear me, and I told her that God’s Timing is Perfect, and we are trusting that. I said we are taking care of you AS IF you will be here with us for the next 30 years — but if you’re tired and want to go on Home, that is fine. I told her not only had she done her job, she’d done a DAMN FINE JOB, and we would be right beside her, every minute — she could just relax, and we would follow her cue. Told her we were even thankful for these most recent days — although sorry for any physical suffering she has had — that we counted the opportunity to care for her so completely as a JOY and a privilege. We’re thankful for the chance to, in some way, repay ALL she’s done for us, and that it was kinda like having a baby … a lotta work, but a total joy … and she smiled and nodded.

After that, I just sat, in the near darkness of her room (lights bother her), sat right by the bed and held her hand. I told her I wasn’t leaving. An hour may have passed and suddenly, out of the dark silence, came a Voice. The Voice said, “LET’S SIT UP AND EAT!” It was Mama. I couldn’t have been much more surprised if it’d been an angel or a spider monkey. So, I sat her up and fed her — actual food as well as mucho dessertos — and then Kyle came back and she wanted to GET UP OUTTA BED and sit in her wheelchair and feel her feet on the floor! So we did THAT!

Then she was ready to sleep, so Kyle put her back in the bed, and we tried to sleep too. I actually did a pretty good job of it, until I got the worst charley horse in the history of legs in my right calf. Kyle said Mama had awakened HIM three times during the night: once for a back rub; once for a drink of water — she made him search until he found the RIGHT SIZE water bottle to suit her (?); and the last time, she called him over and said something he couldn’t hear — never knowing if she’s got something Important to Say to Us — he leaned in and asked her to repeat it. So she did. She said, “I’M THE BIGGEST.”

So, yeah, even as dark as these days have been, we are having a FEW laughs. We would appreciate your prayers for Mama — and for us — as we walk this Road. Confident in the words that tell us we walk THROUGH the Valley — NOT TO the Valley. We are pretty much living on prayers right now — although, truth be told, I am personally supplementing those with a large chocolate milkshake EVER’ DANG DAY! Somewhat more fattening than Xanax, but every bit as effective in my opinion.