A Chapter Closed

The span of our life is 70 years, Or 80 if one is especially strong. But they are filled with trouble and sorrow; They quickly pass by, and away we fly. Psalms 90:10

A Chapter Closed

In January of 2015 I wrote a blog post on “Finding Beauty in Small Things” the subject of when an aging parent and child experience a role reversal in which the child becomes the caregiver and finding beauty in small things when circumstances are not always kind.  I wrote that first draft sitting in a hospital room watching over my Mother who was admitted the beginning of 2015. Then 11 months later in December of that year my Mother was back in the hospital for another week stay.  I realized after this it wouldn’t be long before I would have to say goodbye. Sadly March 21, 2016 my Mother quietly passed away at the age of 87.

She was a kind, gentle person and even up to the last days of her life she still managed to muster up a smile. She treasured the thought expressed by a man of God who lived many years ago who asked: “If a man (or person) dies, can he live again? He then answered with; I will wait all the days of my compulsory service until my relief comes. You will call, and I will answer you. You will long for the work of your hands.” Job 14:14, 15

Thus a chapter closed, but it’s not the end of the story. I recall a time when I was quite young walking along with my Mother. My feet and legs were starting to hurt and I began to protest and wanted to stop and not go any further even though there wasn’t much more distance to travel. She used an illustration to help keep me going. She had me look down the street to a stop sign and told me to imagine that on the other side was the fulfillment of all of God’s promises. The ones she had taught me about. She asked; do you think you can make it that far? I said yes, and so it happened. Such was her way of teaching and in way part of her legacy. I still get sore feet and legs, but I haven’t forgotten those words and I still try to look past the stop signs.

10 thoughts on “A Chapter Closed

  1. Margarite Olmos

    Beautiful words that reminded me of my own mother who could manage shaking her hips when Latin music was played even with her own terrible Alzheimer’s experience. I miss her so and recognize that she too inspired my work. Thank you for this important reminder.

    Reply
    1. William Post author

      Thank you Margarite. I’m sorry for you loss as well, but glad the reminder was a positive one.

      Reply
  2. Inese Poga

    Feeling sorry for your loss. I’m afraid even to think about that, my mom is close to 86, and yes, it is scary.
    I think you should enable like button on your blog because it really facilitates traffic. You can also put comments on moderation and therefore nobody has to fill out the form because many people would love to comment, but nobody wants to waste time filling in forms. I have a blog on WordPress, too, I find it very useful.
    Once again, feeling sorry and I hope you get over your loss.

    Reply
    1. William Post author

      Inese, thank you for your comments. I hope your Mother’s health remains good for as long as possible. I tried the moderating of comments before, and I agree nobody likes to fill out forms, but on the other hand I’d personally rather fill a short form and see my comments appear than have to wait for them to be moderated and approved and then wonder if it was going to show up or not. Plus, I didn’t like having to fight the spam issue which was a headache. If a captcha was served it does so for new commenters or if it thinks it’s spam. Once approved you shouldn’t have to do that again. That is if the plugin is working right.

      Reply
  3. Pat Ebner

    My mother’s birthday was March 21st. She was also 87 when she passed. She loved to paint and it’s because of her I am now trying to learn. Moms are wonderful people and we are blessed to have them in our lives.

    Reply
    1. William Post author

      We are indeed blessed to have Moms and Dads. My first lost was in 1983 when my Father passed away. My Mom got to see my art progress through the years, but Dad was a fan as well even when my art wasn’t all that great at least in my eyes. But, I think that’s part of a parents bias. 🙂 Even with my Mother’s Alzheimer’s she always responded in a wonderful way when I would show her one of my finished paintings. The expression on her face or when she would reach out her hand to touch the painting…I’ll miss that. Continue to enjoy your learning to paint. It’s a wonderful outlet. Thank you for commenting Pat.

      Reply

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