Mom Is Finally At Peace....God Rest Her Soul

[SmokinAl]

Glad to hear your Mother is at peace & was living a great life with you & Tracy, then her new home & friends. You made the last year of her life the best. You deserve a great retirement!
Al

 

[yankee2bbq]

Sorry to hear about your mom.

 

[jaxgatorz]

So so sorry to hear about mom. My timeline with my mom is almost on the same timeline as yours. There was mention of hospice last week.

 

[Buckeyedude]

Sorry for loss Robert! I hope you enjoy you new hobbies and enjoy your well deserved retirement!

 

[crazymoon]

TXS, My condolences Robert, your Mom will live on through your memories and actions.

 

[xray]

My condolences to you Robert and Tracy. Losing a parent is tough but you gave your mother a great last year of her life and made cherished memories in the time you had together.

 

[ronf]

Condelences

 

[Central PA Cowboy]

Sorry to hear this.

 

[gmc2003]

So sorry to hear this Robert. Take comfort in knowing you and Tracy did everything possible to make this past year as easy and enjoyable as possible for her.

Chris

 

[adam15]

As a number of you are aware, I moved my mom down here to TX from VA about a year ago. Her living conditions there were abysmal due to some underhanded activities by another "family" member. From the second we pulled the moving van into the driveway, she was absolutely in love with this place. She was comfortable, happy, eating very well, and we got to spend huge amounts of time just catching up and reliving memories from when I was growing up. A few months ago we all talked and agreed that she needed more interaction with people and more attention than Tracy and I were qualified to give her. I researched assisted living facilities and decided on the one which was the best fit for her. She was so excited to get moved in there and once again, just loved the place. It is magnificent!! She made friends immediately, played Bingo, held court in the cafe telling jokes, sang along with the 50's piano music on Sunday mornings, did crafts, and so on. Well, about 3 weeks ago she was admitted to the hospital for what the facility nurse diagnosed as dehydration. A day or two with an IV and she'd be fine. Wrong!! She steadily declined and the doctors were at a total loss. They had no idea what was going on or how to cure it so back to the assisted living facility after a week and a half and I put her under hospice care for additional comfort and attention. The decline continued to the point that she couldn't talk, couldn't feed herself, could barely open her eyes, etc. All she did was sleep. Sadly I got the call from one of the hospice nurses last weekend that mom had gone into the final stages of what they refer to as "actively dying". That's when the organs just start shutting down. When that starts it's irreversible and there is nothing more that can be done. Rarely does this stage last more than 3 or 4 days so we all knew the end was coming very soon. I was crushed. She held out for 5 days but passed away Thursday morning at peace, quietly, and very comfortably.

This has really put life into perspective for me. Three weeks ago she was running around like a high school track star and now she's gone. When you go through this as well as seeing long-time friends starting to decline, it is a serious wake-up call of our own mortality. I've decided to help Tracy wrap up a few financial goals we've set for ourselves and retire sometime in the very near future. I've started into a hobby over the last 6 months or so, although very hit or miss due to the time I've devoted to mom, and plan to spend considerable time enjoying that. Did a large amount of online shopping yesterday laying the ground work for that hobby and putting the pieces in place to enjoy my retirement. I've done nothing but work since I was 6 years old and do not want my expiration date to come without me having had time to enjoy life and everything I've spent my entire life working for. I'm so sorry having to post this but a large number of the great people here in SMF have gone through this with me and posting it is far more efficient than trying to send dozens of PM's.

God bless,
Robert

So sorry for your loss Robert and Tracy! You have been a great helper with things here and an even better person. Sending prayers to you and your family through this tough time.

 

[Fueling Around]

Peace to you and family

 

[forktender]

I am so sorry for your loss, Robert.

My worse fear, is losing my parents or wife, they are each such a "MASSIVE" part of me, I don't know how I will react when the time comes. And for me, that scares the crap out of me, as I'm normally in pretty good control of things, I always have been, hopefully always will be.

The fears are real though, I find that prayer, good friends, good food, and great bourbon are a Godsend in my time of weakness.

Robert, I only have my own personal thoughts of how you and Tracy must be feeling right now, and it saddens me tremendously. Give that beautiful woman all the love, and support you can muster up, dig deep, as I know she will be doing the same for you.

Prayers go out to your Mother, and your entire family and all the loved ones of your Mother.

Hang in there, brother, and enjoy your retirement.

Godspeed.
Dan.

 

[SmokingUPnorth]

I’m sorry to hear this Robert. I’m sure mom is grateful for everything you’ve done for her and hopefully you guys got to make some unforgettable memories!

 

[chef k-dude]

I haven't been following, but feel your loss. Especially since you made the move with her, she was doing well and even still doing well in assisted living when you all needed to make that move, then so quickly she is gone from this world.

I really appreciate your well written story too. I would read obituaries if everyone shared as well. The story makes a difference in how people take away from the loss themselves and feel it. Not just "thoughts and prayers", we know the story and why.

 

[JC in GB]

So sorry to hear of the loss of your mother. It is so very hard to say goodbye to someone you love. I hope you can find some peace in all of this. Take care.

JC

 

[bauchjw]

I’m sorry for your loss Robert, but I’m so happy you were able to spend some quality time with your Mother and that she’s at peace. You have an amazing home with some new special memories with her there now. I’m glad you are taking some time to enjoy more pursuits. You and your family are in our prayer's.

 

[texomakid]

I went through this with my mom as well. I will never regret the time we shared during her last year as difficult as it was. I know she is at peace and no more pain. the cycle of life is as cruel as it is beautiful.

My heart goes out to you, Tracy, and your entire family.

 

[civilsmoker]

Condolences to you and your family. Life happens quickly for sure and glad you got to spend some quality time with your mom before she passed! Good to hear you are going to carry that forward!

 

[tallbm]

As a number of you are aware, I moved my mom down here to TX from VA about a year ago. Her living conditions there were abysmal due to some underhanded activities by another "family" member. From the second we pulled the moving van into the driveway, she was absolutely in love with this place. She was comfortable, happy, eating very well, and we got to spend huge amounts of time just catching up and reliving memories from when I was growing up. A few months ago we all talked and agreed that she needed more interaction with people and more attention than Tracy and I were qualified to give her. I researched assisted living facilities and decided on the one which was the best fit for her. She was so excited to get moved in there and once again, just loved the place. It is magnificent!! She made friends immediately, played Bingo, held court in the cafe telling jokes, sang along with the 50's piano music on Sunday mornings, did crafts, and so on. Well, about 3 weeks ago she was admitted to the hospital for what the facility nurse diagnosed as dehydration. A day or two with an IV and she'd be fine. Wrong!! She steadily declined and the doctors were at a total loss. They had no idea what was going on or how to cure it so back to the assisted living facility after a week and a half and I put her under hospice care for additional comfort and attention. The decline continued to the point that she couldn't talk, couldn't feed herself, could barely open her eyes, etc. All she did was sleep. Sadly I got the call from one of the hospice nurses last weekend that mom had gone into the final stages of what they refer to as "actively dying". That's when the organs just start shutting down. When that starts it's irreversible and there is nothing more that can be done. Rarely does this stage last more than 3 or 4 days so we all knew the end was coming very soon. I was crushed. She held out for 5 days but passed away Thursday morning at peace, quietly, and very comfortably.

This has really put life into perspective for me. Three weeks ago she was running around like a high school track star and now she's gone. When you go through this as well as seeing long-time friends starting to decline, it is a serious wake-up call of our own mortality. I've decided to help Tracy wrap up a few financial goals we've set for ourselves and retire sometime in the very near future. I've started into a hobby over the last 6 months or so, although very hit or miss due to the time I've devoted to mom, and plan to spend considerable time enjoying that. Did a large amount of online shopping yesterday laying the ground work for that hobby and putting the pieces in place to enjoy my retirement. I've done nothing but work since I was 6 years old and do not want my expiration date to come without me having had time to enjoy life and everything I've spent my entire life working for. I'm so sorry having to post this but a large number of the great people here in SMF have gone through this with me and posting it is far more efficient than trying to send dozens of PM's.

God bless,
Robert

I'm sorry for the loss of our mother Robert.
My thoughts and prayers are her, you, and your family.
I hope you get all the joy you can out of the new hobby and get to enjoy life the way you are looking to. Thanks for all you contributions here, you are a class act!

 

[Brokenhandle]

Sorry for the loss of your mom Robert. Your family will be in our thoughts and prayers. Glad you got to spend this last year with her.

Ryan