A Mother's Last Days

[Reimagine Curator]

The Waiting Room Experiencing the emotion of a mother's last days by Greg Asimakoupoulos

Written as I observed my 92 year old mother living out the final days of her life in her room in a dementia facility after suffering a major stroke and being put on hospice.

The waiting room is a lonely place where I must face my grownup childhood fears. Surrounded by others, I feel alone and nervous about what's to come. It's a gathering place for family and friends where memories are shared and regrets embraced. It's where goodbyes are said to someone who cannot return the farewell. It's a sacred place where earth and heaven meet. As faith and hope hold hands, mortality gives way to immortality. It's where the mystery of eternal light provides illumination amid the shadows to approach God with confidence. It's holy ground. The waiting room provides a front row seat as the drama of life and death is played out on the elevated stage of a hospice bed while a loved one takes one last curtain call. The waiting room is a difficult place to be. But there is no place I would rather be. It is an awesome privilege to shepherd this one who escorted me into this world into the next. Lord, give me grace for the journey and the means to cherish each remaining moment with my mom.