Dear Trudy,
My mother died after a six-month battle with lung disease. She faced it the way she faced every day of her life, with God leading her.
The last few days were the hardest. She was in a lot of discomfort, and I found myself begging God to ease her pain. I was upset that my mother, who was such a devoted and faithful Christian, was in such pain.
During her illness, Mom often spoke to people the rest of us could not see. Dad had been gone for 16 years, and I longed for some sign that his presence was with her. I so desperately needed to know, too, that God was with her.
The day she was dying, she moaned and said over and over, “I don’t want to die.” I didn’t understand where God was when she needed him the most. Then it seemed that Mom grew calmer. We knew the time was very close for her to leave us. We were gathered around her bed and suddenly she seemed to become very alert and her face softened into the sweet smile we all loved.
She looked up to the ceiling over her bed and said, “Eddie’s up there, Eddies up there!” Moments later she died, the smile still on her face. God let us know that he was there all along and sent Daddy to take Mom home! This gave all of us great peace.
Dear Friend,
Your mom died very quickly after just six months of illness. While that time was painful for all of you to watch, God was preparing her soul to meet him. There is much to be thankful to God for in that regard. People often linger and suffer for much longer with disease and so she was really blessed.
She had not seen your dad in 16 years and I am sure she wanted to know that he would be with her when she got to heaven. At the end of life, people often look for those who have already died, and I think that may have been the reason she said, “I don’t want to die.” She wanted to be sure he would be with her.
You all sensed that she was leaving, and as she became calmer, God allowed her to see your dad, which freed her spirit to go on to God for eternity. Her smile told you everything. How good God is to have allowed you and your family to have the peace that would forever remain in your hearts.
Blessings,
Trudy Harris
Trudy gets so many questions from Guideposts readers, we decided to make her answers a regular feature on her blog. If you have a story about a “glimpse of heaven,” please share it with us. Send it to glimpsesofheaven@guideposts.org.
