Day 62: March 2 - No Photo Today

I took no photo today.  I spent the day with my brother, sister, dad, daughter, and future son-in-law at the bedside of my mom in ICU. She died at about 4 p.m.  It was a precious day. We sang hymns and read long passages from the Bible, and wept, and prayed with thanks and sorrow and joy.  Mommy died with a slight smile in the corner of her mouth.  I did write a "Note" for Facebook that morning just before leaving for the hospital (not knowing that it would be our last day with our mom) and in it I mention the photo I posted on March 1.  So here's the note, instead of a photo:

My mom's condition has worsened. She's now critical, but still stable. She's septic - not sure why.  She hasn't had her eyes open for us since my visit yesterday a.m. at 5:30.  She was breathing very rapidly (between ventilator breaths) and so they gave her anti-anxiety meds.  Her blood pressure plummeted a few times. When I walked in last evening at 8 it was 42/25 (or close to that).   They gave her fluids to help it go up and it did in the hour I was there (with Karl and Stephanie, who drove in just before our visit).

We sang hymns.  I sang Christian songs she'd taught us long ago, that we used to sing in the car together: " Jesus Loves Me" medley,  "Isn't He Wonderful?" medley, Paula's favorite as a child - "Love Lifted Me," my favorite as a child - "Can We Know That Jesus Loves Us?"  Then the three of us sang "Amazing Grace," "Great is Thy Faithfulness," "Nothing But the Blood,"  "To God Be the Glory"... and more.  I read some Bible passages: John 14-15, Isaiah 40, 2 Corinthians 4-5.

This morning at 5:30, Paula and Art visited. (We switch off for the last and first visits of the day so we get a bit more sleep.)  The nurse told Paula that Mom is septic.  

Our mom belongs to the LORD. She is His redeemed child. I read this passage this morning in my devotions -

In your unfailing love you will lead 

the people you have redeemed.

In your strength you will guide them 

to your holy dwelling.  

That's from Moses' song after crossing the Red Sea.

We don't know when Mommy (or for that matter, each of us) will get to God's dwelling, but what a wonderful promise of love and strength and guidance!

We are relying on God's love and power.  He is God; we aren't.  How thankful I am that we have someone MUCH greater than ourselves to trust in, to give us strength. I am so thankful for Jesus - God in the flesh - who suffered for us so that we can know the God who can measure the stars in a hand's breadth (and yes, that's poetry, but it's true!).

The Lord gave me a gift yesterday.  We've passed a redbud tree as we drive to and from the house and I walked to it to take a photo of it for my photo journal blog.  I have a point and shoot camera with no viewfinder and the sun was bright and I couldn't really see what I was doing.  The photo is exactly as I shot it.  When I looked at it after I downloaded it and saw the bee among the buds, I was reminded of my mom. Her desire for God's word is what I always think of with her.  She feasted on it. She got her nourishment from it and then she shared it with others... just like that bee. In other ways, she has always been like a bee  - busy about the Lord's work - laying up treasures in heaven (I read that today, too, in my devotions).  So I want to share the photo with you.  Time to go to the hospital again, so forgive errors....