update 1

i had planned to report on mom's health earlier but other things, stuff, kept me from finding the time to do so. with that in mind i want to say that my mom did not seem to suffer at the end. she had been getting stronger, not better mind you, but stronger. she went from not being able to walk at all to walking with help, then on her own. she looked progressively better each day.

the last couple of weeks i was working everyday, we needed the money. i called her this past saturday and she sounded good and said she felt good and asked us to come see her. i called sunday. elaine, a friend of mom's, answered the phone. mom was resting and wasn't able to speak well anyway. she had gone to the emergency room saturday night. she felt like she was choking. the doctors checked her out and said everything looked great with the exception of her lungs: she had a bit of bronchitis. mom's friend, dona (which i now know is spelled with one 'n') was with her. dona told me the male nurse looked at mom's chart and said she had pneumonia, just a small spot on the lower lung. he told dona to keep mom up and walking as much as possible. so they went home.

mom's ability to talk was hindered because of the choking episode so that's why i couldn't talk to her sunday. that and she was groggy. i went to work, got off at midnight, went home and to bed.

there was a noise in the night. i was somewhere far away. the noise continued. why would it not stop? amy's voice suddenly cut through my sleep. "Stuart, your mother has just died". i was awake at once and called dona.

momma had been asleep in her recliner, her favorite place to sleep these days, breathing, not labouriously but with a rasp. dona fell asleep on the sofa. when dona woke up everything was quiet. she knew something was wrong. she got up, went to mom. "miss izzy, miss izzy!". momma was gone. just like that, asleep.

my mom was the sweetest person. she loved everyone, tolerated most. even when the tolerance was wearing off she neither raised her voice nor her hand. ok, her hand, to correct my behavior at times. but only on my rear end. and although i don't spank my children i am grateful to her for that. it taught me something: lessons i will never forget nor my sweet, patient mother.