Catch a Smile

Threads of Gold ~ Part 6

The other night, tears came unbidden.  All those evenings of tucking Mom in were now past. Placing her flannel nightgown into the dryer for a few minutes, she would put it on and say: “Thank you, I feel so cozy!”

I sat there, sobbing- Mom is at The Home and here I am, in our home.  I thought of Jesus, who knew the pain of separation from His Father.  I thought of the ultimate sorrow of His death, covering my sin and bringing the greatest of comfort in forgiveness, and a nearness of His presence.  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3). He is walking with us.  

As we look through her scrapbooks together, Mom will have a catch in her throat when we come across a picture of her Mom.  “That’s maman.  She died when I was 16.”   While some may disagree, I will not rob her of this deep and tender sorrow; neither will I leave her there, as we continue to turn the pages.  

We happen upon a tuna fishing expedition, and she is immediately animated.  “I was SO tired,” she exclaims.  “Everyone else on the boat was throwing up, except me and my friend.  I had to keep reeling this one in.”  In her early twenties, Mom was the first person from her village of Concession to have caught a tuna, weighing 245 lbs.

Go ahead- bring pictures on your visit to The Home, and name the people in the photos.  Bring an electronic device. Type in: “Laughing babies youtube,” in your search engine; trust me, you will not be sorry and you will surely catch a smile on your loved ones' face.  Use Skype, Facetime, Facebook- a picture really is worth a thousand words.

Mom’s scrapbook is a gem, and while this new chapter will one day close, I want us to enjoy her story for as long as possible.