Humorous Heritage

"When a daughter loses a mom, a mom needs a daughter." - The Notetaker

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This past week, December 4, 2010, my Mom, Nancy Marie Neuharth, passed to her rest in Escondido, California.

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Mom was ninety-three years of age, had been married to Dad for 74 years this month and was at peace inside and out.

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As the visiting Hospice nurse told me that morning, "I've seen a lot of people at this stage in their lives, and very few (20%) have the peace your Mom has right now."

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The nurses words were comforting to me - to know that my Mom, who had been in so much pain in the past year, was at peace with God and with herself. What I didn't know at the time was that within the hour, Mom would be gone.

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Of course, we knew she couldn't last too much longer without food or water. Her body had already decided it was finished with the normal activities of life. Yet, we still had the luxury of visiting her, watching her sleep like a baby, holding her warm hand that seemed to clasp ours, talking to her in hopes she could gain some joy from what we read or shared.

Now, all this was over.

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Life, as I know it, has not had a lot of "it's over moments" ... so yes, it was a shock. A shock to watch my Dad grasp the terrible truth that his sweetheart was gone, a sadness to see my brother come to realize that Mom wasn't breathing anymore.

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That's why I wrote the words above, "When a daughter loses a mom, a mom needs a daughter." Having our Stephi fly out and be with us meant so very, very much. Having her beside me, filled that empty spot and calmed this quaking heart.

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NOTE: The picture above is of Mom peaking out behind her Grandmother Melissa with the other ladies in her family. Mom is the first one to the left of her grandma, my great-grandmother. I'll share other pictures in days to come. (Special thanks to my cousin Linda Joy for sending me this picture ... isn't it neat?!)