Have you ever witnessed an amazing act of kindness that makes you question if you have that level of giving deep in your heart? The kind of self-sacrifice that you hope you possess?
Well…I have…and I’m proud to say the ‘giver’ in this situation is my mom.
Just about a month ago, my mom learned that her uncle had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. This uncle is someone my mom has stayed in touch with over the years, but has probably only seen a half dozen times in her life. (He moved away from her home town when she was a child) Knowing he was alone and suffering, she hopped on a plane and flew half way across the country to visit him.
After spending a weekend with him, she realized he wasn’t eating and wasn’t taking his medication regularly. He also expressed a desire to live out his final days at home rather than at the hospital. This was all the information my heart-of-gold mother needed. She returned home, took a leave of absence from work, packed up her car, drove more than 1000 miles and moved herself in with him.
The man who only a week before was still talking and walking, could no longer move himself or even swallow. He passed away just after midnight on Saturday night…just the way he had hoped: peacefully in his sleep. It is my mom who made this final wish a reality. In his final days she made sure he was loved: she read to him, she put lotion on his hands, she carried him from his bed to the couch when he wanted to get up. She made sure he was comfortable and comforted. This makes her a very special kind of angel.
I hope I inherited her wings.
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