The love of a mother helps us to grow.   A love of a mother for her child is fantastic.  I am a mother of 4 children, a mother in law to 4 children and a grandmother of 8.   When we were first married, I thought I couldn’t love someone as much as I loved my husband.  A few months of marriage and I thought perhaps I was pregnant.  Unfortunately that pregnancy didn’t last very long.  About a year later I realized I was pregnant again. 

When our daughter, Tina, was born, I was so enthralled at her tiny fingers and toes, that this bundle of joy came from me and that my love knew no bounds.  It just expanded.

As each of our children came along, Tod, Lisa and Lee, my loved kept expanding. 

As my mother in law, Flavilla, lies in her bed at Heartland waiting to go home, I know that the feelings I had when each of my children were born were similar to what she experienced for each of her children’s births.

She is one fantastic mother in law.  Yes, at times she interfered with some advice that I didn’t appreciate.  Yes, at times I ruffled her feathers too.  A strong bond grew between both of us.  She has been my mother in law for over 46 years and simply put, I love her.

It will be hard this weekend as her daughter (Dawn)  and my husband (Larry) begin the tearing down of their mother’s apartment.  Taking apart her home, having a garage sale and selling her home was hard but we knew that Mom had a good place to live in her apartment at the assisted living home.  Tomorrow will be different.  As each item is taken from that apartment, we are saying good bye to her coming home once again.

Dawn is keeping her mother’s clothes just in case she can get well enough to come home.  With Mom’s kidneys at 13% function, her heart at 30% function, the swelling of her arms so bad that they leak fluid, fluid around her heart and lungs, there isn’t much time left

My one goal is to make Mom’s last days as happy as they can be, whether that means we sit in her room helping her to drink a small amount of fluid, cleaning her dentures (which I hate but do anyways because of my love for her), reading to her, listening to her labored breathing, talking with the nurses, sharing our family stories with her, and in general, making each moment easier for her.

 Sometimes we feel that she knows that she is dying; at other times, she acts like she will be getting better.  Mom is strong willed, very sharp mentally, a great spirit (for she trusts and believes in Jesus Christ) but her body is weak.

 Mom, my salute to you is thank you for each day of your life that you have shared your beliefs, love, compassion, understanding, gentleness, kindness and attention to each of us.  You are always in our thoughts.

We love you.

Tobey Anne Craft

http://www.tobeyscandles.com