It was Mom’s birthday on Sunday, May 12th and I was thinking about her again. Her birthday often came on May 12 or soon after or before. At least our family celebrated her birthday with Mother’s day. Mom has been gone several years now but I was thinking about the time she was on hospice care and I thought it might be good to tell you about that time.

I was sitting by Mom’s bedside, just waiting I guess, not sure just what I was waiting for. She had been sleeping for nearly three days. The hospice nurse told me that she might not wake up at all.

Mom was 100 years old and she really wanted to, as she said many times, “Go home to Jesus”. I wanted that for her too. At least I thought so at the time. She was very frail and she suffered with so much pain. She had lived at a nursing home very near our home ever since she broke her hip a couple of years earlier. I spent an hour in the morning and two hours in the afternoon each day with her, but somehow it was never enough. She wanted me to be with her all the time and she cried whenever I left.

When her doctor wanted her to be put on hospice care, my husband, Frank, and I decided to bring her back to our home. She had lived with us prior to going to the nursing home.

At first Mom was very happy to be home. She wanted to get up in her wheelchair and watch my daughter, Bobbe. sew drapes for her living room. She ate pretty good, especially when I brought her toast and coffee. But then she began to go to sleep for hours at the time so I often sat by her bed, just waiting.

Then one day she opened her beautiful blue eyes and looked right at me. “I love you, Yvonne,” she said. I had never heard her say that, never in my whole life! I knew then what I had been waiting for and I cried.

It was a couple of days later, whileI was singing close to her ear, the old Gospel hymn, “I Need Thee Every Hour” that Mom went home to Jesus. I left her room to go tell my family that she had gone. I thought I will always tell my children how very much I love them.

Oh people, tell your family that you love them and tell them that God loves them too. They won’t forget it.THE LONG WAIT

It was Mom’s birthday on Sunday, May 12th and I was thinking about her again. Her birthday often came on May 12 or soon after or before. At least our family celebrated her birthday with Mother’s day. Mom has been gone several years now but I was thinking about the time she was on hospice care and I thought it might be good to tell you about that time.

I was sitting by Mom’s bedside, just waiting I guess, not sure just what I was waiting for. She had been sleeping for nearly three days. The hospice nurse told me that she might not wake up at all.

Mom was 100 years old and she really wanted to, as she said many times, “Go home to Jesus”. I wanted that for her too. At least I thought so at the time. She was very frail and she suffered with so much pain. She had lived at a nursing home very near our home ever since she broke her hip a couple of years earlier. I spent an hour in the morning and two hours in the afternoon each day with her, but somehow it was never enough. She wanted me to be with her all the time and she cried whenever I left.

When her doctor wanted her to be put on hospice care, my husband, Frank, and I decided to bring her back to our home. She had lived with us prior to going to the nursing home.

At first Mom was very happy to be home. She wanted to get up in her wheelchair and watch my daughter, Bobbe. sew drapes for her living room. She ate pretty good, especially when I brought her toast and coffee. But then she began to go to sleep for hours at the time so I often sat by her bed, just waiting.

Then one day she opened her beautiful blue eyes and looked right at me. “I love you, Yvonne,” she said. I had never heard her say that, never in my whole life! I knew then what I had been waiting for and I cried.

It was a couple of days later, whileI was singing close to her ear, the old Gospel hymn, “I Need Thee Every Hour” that Mom went home to Jesus. I left her room to go tell my family that she had gone. I thought I will always tell my children how very much I love them.

Oh people, tell your family that you love them and tell them that God loves them too. They won’t forget it.THE LONG WAIT

It was Mom’s birthday on Sunday, May 12th and I was thinking about her again. Her birthday often came on May 12 or soon after or before. At least our family celebrated her birthday with Mother’s day. Mom has been gone several years now but I was thinking about the time she was on hospice care and I thought it might be good to tell you about that time.

I was sitting by Mom’s bedside, just waiting I guess, not sure just what I was waiting for. She had been sleeping for nearly three days. The hospice nurse told me that she might not wake up at all.

Mom was 100 years old and she really wanted to, as she said many times, “Go home to Jesus”. I wanted that for her too. At least I thought so at the time. She was very frail and she suffered with so much pain. She had lived at a nursing home very near our home ever since she broke her hip a couple of years earlier. I spent an hour in the morning and two hours in the afternoon each day with her, but somehow it was never enough. She wanted me to be with her all the time and she cried whenever I left.

When her doctor wanted her to be put on hospice care, my husband, Frank, and I decided to bring her back to our home. She had lived with us prior to going to the nursing home.

At first Mom was very happy to be home. She wanted to get up in her wheelchair and watch my daughter, Bobbe. sew drapes for her living room. She ate pretty good, especially when I brought her toast and coffee. But then she began to go to sleep for hours at the time so I often sat by her bed, just waiting.

Then one day she opened her beautiful blue eyes and looked right at me. “I love you, Yvonne,” she said. I had never heard her say that, never in my whole life! I knew then what I had been waiting for and I cried.

It was a couple of days later, whileI was singing close to her ear, the old Gospel hymn, “I Need Thee Every Hour” that Mom went home to Jesus. I left her room to go tell my family that she had gone. I thought I will always tell my children how very much I love them.

Oh people, tell your family that you love them and tell them that God loves them too. They won’t forget it.

One day last winter I was in the Walmart store and saw a young couple just standing in the entrance seemingly keeping warm. I felt the nudge but I didn’t go over to them, but I was surprised when they came over to me. They said they were hungry and needed something to eat. I told them that all I had with me was my debit card, which was the truth. The couple was very nice about it and went out of the store. After they had gone I thought I could have taken them to McDonalds, which was in the Walmart store,and bought them something to eat using my debit card. I have always felt guilty about that incidence. Why didn’tI pay attention to my nudge?

How about you? Haven’t you felt that you should go visit someone who is ill? Haven’t you felt you should write or call that friend who is now lonely after her husband died? Those are little nudging things given you by God. You, and I, should always obey when God calls, don’t you think? Of course the devil will also give his nudging, telling us we don’t need to follow up on these little ideas.

A true story, I don’t know whether I read it or someone told it to me, brings this whole thing into focus. On September 8,1799, Admiral Thomas Williams was taking his ship across the ocean.He sailed past the uninhabited island of Ascension. He felt a deep burden that he should steer toward it. His sailors were against it saying it would delay his trip, but he gave the order to change course. One of the sailors was looking through his binocular and thought he saw a white flag. As the drew closer they found more than a dozen shipwrecked men, destitute and near starvation. The men had been praying for someone to come and rescue them. Wasn’t it great that the Admiral listened to his nudge?

Maybe your nudge won’t be like his or like mine at Walmart’s but whatever we are asked to do, we must do it. When we realize that it is God giving the nudge we will want to obey, won’t we?