On Your Own Terms

We had the most wonderful day yesterday. My mother's health is on the decline and the doctors called to say that we should come to the hospital. My sister, father and I all went and when we walked into the room my mother was wide awake. She was supposed to go home today but she will not. We had her moved into a private room with a view of a park. We talked all day and reminisced about good things. She spoke to all of her grandchildren. She told us to take care of our father. She wanted us to go out to eat but we did not want to leave her. When we brought food to the room for my father, she told him to sit down and eat. At 6:30pm she told us to go home. We said we would stay another hour but she was adamant that we go and turn off the lights as we left. We hugged and kissed her and said goodbye. There were no words left unsaid. The day was happy for all of us. Today we will go back again not knowing what the day will hold, but yesterday's visit was the best gift we could have had.