LEAVING WAYNEDALE
It is Friday, March 19, and today my 93-year old mom will be leaving her pretty yellow house where she has lived for over 63 years. At 4 o’clock she will be transported to hospice home where she will live out her days. I sit by her bed and look at a body that was once healthy and vibrant and is now withered and weary.
Growing up in this house with five brothers and a sister was a wonderful experience. I had two parents who loved me and I couldn’t have asked for more.
I think of what to say to mom when she wakes up. What excuses I can make for sending her to a home. It’s the one thing she has begged me never to do. I tell myself that it is for the best but I’m not sure if it’s best for her, or just me. When the EMS arrives she never opens her eyes and my words are left unsaid.
They carry her frail body out on the sheet where she has laid for days and carry her down the front porch steps to the stretcher on the front sidewalk. I sit beside her in the ambulance and look out the back window. As we turn the corner, I see the bank where she has done business for 60 years. Then comes the bakery, Waynedale News, Sandpoint TV and then I feel the rocking motion as we cross the railroad tracks. Then Hill’s Market where my father purchased fresh meat for the family until his death 40 years ago.
Looking out the back window is a different perspective from being in the driver’s seat where you are moving towards things. While looking out the back you see everything fading way. I wonder if she can feel the sensation of leaving this place where she has lived most of her life. It must be a little like leaving this world and moving on to the next.
My attention turns to my mom who is wrapped up like a papoose with two blue blankets keeping her warm and the straps across her body holding her secure. All that is exposed is her face and one frail hand that I reach out to hold. I say a little prayer for her and one for me and remember that God is good and I know the guidance that I have asked for has been given and all is well.
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