Hi! Once again I’m going to ask that you bear with me while I relate a quick, uh, rather weird story. (Just as a side note, let me say that I had written this once while lying on my back on the couch using my I-phone. At the end I had tears in my ears and, yes, made one false move and deleted the whole thing. I’m here to do it again, this time on the PC. That’s how important I think this message is. Lol) So, my mother went home to be with the Lord a couple days ago. If a death can be a beautiful thing, this one was. Mom was surrounded by friends and family, touching her, singing to her, loving her as she passed. I could easily see that she literally took her last breath here on earth and seamlessly breathed her next in the presence of the Lord! I felt honored, moved, grateful to have been in her arms when I took my first breath and to have witnessed her last here on earth. What a blessing it was! What a glorious day, definitely for her, and for me as well! The day went on step by step. I found myself surrounded by loved ones: husband, daughters, son, father, brother, sister, friends, on and on and on. We spent the day hugging, reminiscing, laughing, comforting. It was a beautiful day! Mom would have loved it! She always made sure I was being taken care of, and I was! OK, here’s the transition where, well, the story gets a little weird. I have no doubt there are those who will think, “Yup, she’s gone a little loopy.” If you feel that, let me just say I feel ya. No problem. I’m neither surprised nor offended. Lol One of my favorite things about being a Grove is that Groves enjoy nature. Did I say ENJOY? We LOVE it! We’re crazy about it! We love to play, fish, camp…WE LOVE IT! And Mom was nature’s greatest fan! Bar none! From early on, our mother taught us to identify plants, clouds, bugs. She and Dad taught us a respect and love for God’s creatures. We smelled, held, released, enjoyed everything on God’s green earth…well, except those little black sweat bees, cockroaches, and yellow jackets, but that’s a story for another day. Lol Of all these, my favorite, FAVORITE is the praying mantis. I can’t recall a summer that passed without me running into the house (or later calling) to find Mom to say, “I found it! The first one of the summer!” Reports of the size and color and brilliance of the whole thing followed as that year’s version of the perfect praying mantis were presented for her approval. As she did with everything, Mom shared in the delight of the adventure! That was her job. That’s who she was. My kids have taken it upon themselves, as well, to be sure I’m informed when the sighting occurs if I am absent. If I don’t get outside for the event, they go in my stead, taking pictures or carrying the quarry to the window, pecking on the window, and pointing to the captor, or bringing it into the house for me to enjoy. Did I mention I love these little things? Love ‘em! (My kids AND the bugs!) This year, for some reason, I had seen none! Nary-ye-a-one! I don’t know, perhaps it’s because I don’t get out much in my wheelchair? Perhaps I wasn’t paying attention? Perhaps, I don’t know, but I didn’t see any praying mantises this year. Did you? I had even forgotten they were lacking at this point! So, as this perfect day wound down, and we sat snuggled in the living room watching the last minutes of a great movie, Rose leaned back, looked up past me, and gasped, “Oh, look!” Outside the window, past the only opened blind, there was, crawling awkwardly to and fro, the first praying mantis of my summer, even after the summer had passed! It was perfect and gangly and green and…wonderful! It was the perfect end to a perfect day. My mom got to go to paradise, and I got to enjoy my very favorite things on God’s green earth: my beautiful family and a strange little creature who, long ago, stole my heart! Our God is a God of details, where I’m concerned. He oversaw this day, as He does all the others, and at the end of it, He presented His little girl with a trinket to make sure I was OK and happy and content. What a day! The only thing that could possibly have made it better would have been to call Mom. But know what? I suspect she knows! \o/
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 10:49:46 +0000
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