Friends, a husband and wife, of more than two decades each lost their mother. The double whammy with just weeks between the first lost and the second hit them hard. My heart goes out to them as I think of my mom and the years since her passing. The void within every child left by a mother is always large, no matter what type of relationship one had with her over the years.
The question I asked myself then and now is the same; what comes next?
I knew my mother’s life was coming to an end for a long time. She was slowly losing her battle with dementia and Alzheimer’s. The battle had taken her confidence and at the end most of her smiles. It has impacted her health in a way that is often found by those who feel they have lost all contact with friends and family, leaving them totally alone in the world.
My last conversation still lingers in my mind. Mom had a long chat with me about “Bill”. She told me how proud she was. She said I should reach out and get to know him. There was one request – did I know all the places Bill had travelled to. She explained that she loved to travel. It seems that my stories were her magic carpet ride to places where she could meet people across different cultures and try new food.
I responded that Bill had shared a few places he had been. The stories shared then gave way to her smiles and laughter. I agreed to ask Bill for a map with pins on the cities visited.
I still owe her that map.
I wondered what was next. Was came after the smiles and laughter? Was this the peak or is there more? I enjoyed the moment – “now we’re here, O Jerusalem, inside Jerusalem’s walls!” (Psalm 122.2) However, the question lingers.
Mom gave me a lot to live for. What comes next is my opportunity to live out her inspiration, smiles, laughter, care, and unquenchable thirst for adventure.
