Changing Hearts

There was one solace. There was peace. Jesus was able to take all my selfish anger, which had caused so many years of pain, and change my heart. He changed my parents' hearts as well. They too came to Christ, and we all accepted him as Savior. You see, through all that suffering we were learning together. We learned that love was the only thing that could get us through. We could not get away from the loving Holy Spirit that was guiding us.

We could feel God's love around us, his unmistakable presence.
The night before my father passed away, he was talking to someone, although there was no one physically there for us to see. We heard him ask, "Are you sure you want to take me before her?" Then he said, "Okay, okay," very calmly in agreement. From that hour on, my father did not need his oxygen mask anymore. His breathing was calm and he slept. It was a miracle. He was at peace. He went to be with Jesus the next day wearing his very favorite t-shirt—the one that said "Got Jesus?"

As I look back I remember that as he got closer to the end, he had no concern for himself. All he asked was that I take care of Mom. He loved her very much. I never saw that concern growing up. They were always at odds with each other. But God can do awesome things in peoples lives, even at the end.

Blessings Beyond the Sadness

My mother survived one year beyond my father's death. She missed my father deeply and the Parkinson's moved rapidly. The sadness was there, however, the blessings kept coming to get us all through!

We moved Mom to a wonderful Assisted Living home. She felt it was like a little family. One lady would come every week to pray with her and read the Bible. Mom loved that. Hospice came in to take care of her other health needs. These were angels of mercy in a sense. God doesn't just use heavenly angels to minister to us, this I now know.
In the end she was heavily medicated for most of her final weeks. Yet on that last morning at 2:10 a.m., she opened her eyes and began to form words with no sound. I could read her lips. She was saying, "I'm going to die. I love you." She repeated this three times.

I could feel another presence in the room, and so I whispered to her, "Mom, I know what you are saying and I love you too. I'll see you again. You can go in peace now. Do you see the angels? They are here." Her eyes then fixed on something that was behind me and she never looked at me again. I went on to tell her, "You go with them because Jesus is waiting for you at the gates of heaven with his arms open. Everyone else is waiting there for you too." Then she turned a bit, held on to the side bar of the bed like she was holding on to a roller coaster ride. She closed her eyes, then peacefully left.

Facing Death Without Fear

You would think that after all I had seen with my dad, that I would not be surprised. But I guess God's works are always a wonder to his children. My mom, before she accepted Christ, had always been greatly fearful of death. But in the end she faced death without fear. She just went home to be with the King.
When Mom left this world I didn't fall apart—at least not completely. I always thought I would. You see, I always put my mother up on a pedestal. I made her my god. What a horrible sin. That is what kept me from accepting the true and only God. The night my mom passed, I felt a strange and great peace. I remember saying, "Goodbye, Mom. I'll see you again." Now that's not to say I didn't do my share of crying. I have cried a lot. I'm human. But I've never felt alone along the way, and I never will be alone again!

I realize now that had it not been for everything that happened, we may never have seen the wonderful love of Christ and how forgiving he really is. My anger alone was what had put me in my situation. Love was the only thing that could get both myself and my parents out of that bondage. The amazing love that comes only from Christ did just that! What a mighty work!

Now I fully believe all things are possible. I will see my parents in heaven when God calls me home. The greatest gift is that I'll be there with the Father to glorify and praise his name!

I believe this gift of forgiveness that God gave me, my parents and my family, can happen for all of us. All we need to do is ask for it. His grace is truly sufficient for all of us. Brothers and sisters in Christ, family of God, you are all in my prayers!

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!(NIV)