Remembering Mom

Today it's been a year since Mom passed away. Those days of vigil by her bedside that first week in April were precious and dear as we watched her slip away into a new, eternal life. I thought it might be fitting to post a record of that experience here for others who may not have read it before. This account was sent to many of Mom and Dad's relatives, but I'm not sure all the grandchildren have heard it. It was such a faith-promoting experience I felt it should be shared and told and retold for her posterity to encourage their faith and belief in the saving graces of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

"Mom’s final decline started Easter Sunday, April 4 (2010). We spent Easter with Mom, helping her with dinner and giving her an Easter basket with chocolate eggs which she loved. But her nurse noted that Mom was not feeling her best and she ordered a prescription to help her breathe a little better.

They called us in on Monday, April 5^th to let us know that she was declining rapidly and we began our 4 day vigil. Mom nearly slept the whole time, but she did recognize me and John as we said good-bye that first day. One of the caregivers had an interesting story to tell us. Throughout her 2 ½ years in Memory Care, Mom would often mention Ada and Ida, Elizabeth and Armada, and one time the nurse there told me she had a long conversation one night with her father, Moses. Then a caregiver told me that Sunday before she fell asleep that last week, she called out for Cal (as if she had seen him!). She also insisted that Ada and Ida were in the bathroom and the caregiver humored her by checking the room to see if they were there. Mom again insisted that her sisters were there. We can only think that the veil was very thin at that time and that her sisters and Dad were there waiting for her to pass to the other side as Mom was not known to hallucinate as some patients do and did not often mention Cal.

We kept a vigil there day and night, taking turns (Evan was a saint to stay with her at night so we could get sleep). John came and then had to go home, and then Kathy and David came to stay by her side along with us. She slept fairly soundly until breathing got more difficult. Then on Thursday, at 5:43 Mom’s eyes popped open wide and it truly looked as if she were looking beyond any of us into eternity, literally, and then her breathing slowed and eventually stopped for good. It truly was a spiritual experience to watch her pass into eternity. It was so bittersweet for us; it was hard to see her go, but we knew that my dad was welcoming her into his arms and Mom was free from all her earthly ailments.

We are so grateful for goodly parents who taught us the gospel of Jesus Christ which gives us hope in the reality of the resurrection and the Atonement of our Savior. If we had any doubts of the afterlife before, those doubts were totally dispelled with the scene we witnessed as Mom passed over into eternity. It was very clear that her soul was on a journey to a very real place. We knew that. We were so grateful to be able to witness her passing.

We have a great heritage, it is clear. Many of our ancestors on both sides sacrificed much for us to be able even to be alive and to be members of the true gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for their sacrifices and for their consistent faith."

Mom was the consummate 1950's stay-at-home mom who, along with Dad, provided a loving, neat and comfortable home for us, doing all those motherly things that moms should do like making our sack lunches, walking us up the hill to Kensington Hilltop School, coercing us into piano lessons (I regret not keeping it up just as she said I would, but I am now practicing again and can play hymns and children's songs to accompany others--my little homage to Mom!), teaching us to sing fun old-timey songs, encouraging good manners, promoting good study habits, offering fun activities during holidays, vacations and just everyday, and most importantly, fostering within us faith and hope in our Savior Jesus Christ by having us attend church and primary and youth activities. I will be forever grateful for the happy childhood that I had, nurtured by two kind, intelligent, loving parents who wanted to see their children live and grow to be faithful, successful individuals who could somehow contribute positively to this confusing world. Hopefully, they accomplished that goal.

In the song, "How Will They Know?" the true test of parents' teachings comes when those children have to teach their own children:

"How will they live when they at last are grown?

What will they give to children of their own?

Will they reflect the values we have shown?"

I am so grateful for parents who taught kindness, good morals, compassion, and faith in Jesus Christ. We were blessed to have Calvin and Roma Kuhre as our parents and grandparents. We pay tribute to their lives and their good works in teaching us to love and help others. May we look forward to a happy reunion with our good parents in the eternities that await us in the not-too-distant future.