A Living Legacy
The morning sun seeps into the room, but the woman knows it not. As I sit with her, she asks why the light is not on as it seems so dark. Her beautiful blue eyes, ones that have looked out on me since my birth, are now unseeing and darkness prevails. The sparkle is gone and struggles take hold.
Another woman sits in her wheelchair, alone in a strange place. No one is familiar to her and she seems lost in the vastness of the new facility. Her joyful chuckle is not totally silenced, but it is vastly diminished. She is filled with great unhappiness at being separated from all that she knows.
These two women – my mother and my mother-in-law – are both facing some significant changes and challenges right now. Only weeks ago, my mother was at my brother’s home and living life as it had been for many years. Similarly, my mother-in-law was living contentedly in her seniors assisted living with familiar things in place and people that she knew.
To have both these dear women land in the hospital at similar times and then both have the verdict that they may not return to their previous place of residence has been difficult for all of us in our families to bear as well as for them.
Facing changes in these women, who have guided us from childhood, is tough to bear. My husband and I both lament the loss of the vibrancy and joy that these women have brought into our lives. While we try to visit and keep contact, we cannot always be with them in their loneliness and challenges. We must entrust them to God’s care.
Tears flow easily these days as I grieve not only the loss of my mother’s sight, but also the deteriorating of her mind. My confidante is gone. The mother, who once held me to soothe my woes, now needs to be held and assured. My mother-in-law, who has always been so vibrant, cheerful, and giving, now needs us to sustain her and cheer her up.
I know it is the circle of life and that these days were coming. What comforts me through all the grieving that is in my heart right now is the living legacy that both these women provide. They have lived lives of faith – constant and unwavering.
As I ponder them today, this verse comes to mind:
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26 NIV)
These mothers of mine believe the Psalmist’s words without a doubt. They also believe that Jesus as Lord and Saviour is the only true way to life eternal in Heaven. They might not always verbalize their faith anymore, but their lives still shine with it.
Some days God gives us a gift to provide the spiritual encouragement we need. The night before my cancer surgery two years ago, my mom phoned me. She had not initiated contact for a while (she couldn’t manage the phone too well), but that day she did. On that troubling day I had my mother back as she consoled me with God’s Word and with all the tactics she had used in years past to help me through rough times. It was amazing to have her speak so clearly and thoughtfully that day, giving the motherly love and care that she had done for so long prior. The memory of that day sustains me, not only for the cancer experience, but as I go forward in this life.
My mother lives far away and so visits are limited at times. On one of my last in person visits with her, my mom did something she had never done before. Our conversation that day had been somewhat convoluted as her thought processes were not all on track. Yet, as I stood in the doorway and turned for one last glance at her, she said these words, “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and give you peace.”
There it is – the living legacy. One I will treasure for all time.
I pray dear friend that you will cherish those who go on in faith ahead of you and that you also may leave a legacy of faith for others to follow. May God grant you His grace and peace.
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