Glimpses of Heaven

The hospice nurse broke the news gently. “It’s nearing the end now. Don’t be surprised if you hear your mother talking to people who are long gone. This happens a lot near death when our loved ones have one foot in this world and one in the next.”

My son Russ arrived from Chicago a few days later for a last visit with his beloved grandmother. He took a sleeping bag along to the nursing home and told his grandma he was spending the night. “I’m right here if you need me, Grandma.”

The next morning, Russ discussed his overnight visit with his dad and me. “It was weird. Grandma talked to Grandpa Herman all through the night.” (A chill went through me. My dad had been gone for 50 years.) “But then,” Russ continued, “she’d call out for me sometimes . . . ‘Russie, are you there?’ It was like she was with Grandpa but wanted to check to make sure she was still in this world, too. I held her hand when she called out and let her know I was there.”

Until Russ shared his experience, I had written off hospice patients speaking with long-gone loved ones as a medical issue caused by diminishing brain function. But now I felt differently. When mother died five days later, I was sure God’s hand had been there, preparing her for heaven. I was comforted knowing God had chosen my daddy to call her home.