"Good night, Mother......."

“Don’t cha’ guess it’s about bedtime, Mother? It’s been a pretty long day. I’ve got quite a bit of work ahead of me in the office in the morning and I’m beat tonight.”

She would be 95 in less than four months and she had been living alone since my daddy passed in 1984. Mother was staying with us for a few days after experiencing a fall. We had made a couple of trips to the doctor and his diagnosis was that Mother had just experienced a lot of birthdays, which was a nice way of saying that old age had crept upon her and her heart just wasn’t what it once was.

“For some reason, I’m not a bit sleepy”, Mother replied, “and, that’s kinda unusual for me.”

As I helped her get ready for bed, we talked about her five g-grandchildren and how much they were loved and how fast they were growing.

I sat down on her bed after tucking her in. Mother was little in stature and she looked so small under that cover. I tucked the cover around her and she smiled at me.

“Wish I was sleepy,” she mentioned again, “and wish I felt better.”

We talked a bit longer and then I leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. “It’ll all be better in the morning”, I said as I turned out her light, turned on the monitor and headed for my bedroom. “Good night, I love you.”

“I love you, too, Sis,” she replied.

We kept a baby monitor beside our beds so I could hear her in the night if she needed me.

About 7:00 a.m., I awoke and John was awake.

“Guess I’ll get up and make coffee”, he said.

“I’ll get in the shower then.” I replied.

John was always so good to my Mother and she loved him like her own son. So, he went into her room to see if she was asleep. She was resting peacefully; the covers rising up and down with her breathing so he tiptoed out to make coffee.

I jumped in the shower and as I was getting out, John came rushing in.

“I checked on your mother again and she’s not breathing!”

Quickly, I grabbed my robe and we rushed into her room.

The last words I said to her the night before, “It’ll all be better in the morning,” were prophetic and I didn’t realize it until now.

Yes, for her it was better that morning because she had taken her last breath on this earth, knowing she was loved, and she had awaken in the loving arms of her Savior.

That was 15 years ago today. I miss my mother but I know that she is enjoying her Heavenly home and I know I will see her again someday.

I love Proverbs 31:10-31 about the virtuous woman. Starting in verse 25, in The Living Bible describes my mother: “She is a woman of strength and dignity and has no fear of old age. When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule for everything she says. She watches carefully all that goes on throughout her household and is never lazy. Her children stand and bless her; so does her husband. He praises her with these words: “There are many fine women in the world, but you are the best of them all!” Charm can be deceptive and beauty doesn’t last, but a woman who fears and reverences God shall be greatly praised. Praise her for the many fine things she does. These good deeds of hers shall bring her honor and recognition from people of importance.”