My mom is 99½ years old. Her body is giving all the signs that her move to her heavenly mansion, in the Father’s house, will happen soon. So, I’m in California, staying with my sister, and visiting Mom, helping her eat meals, singing, remembering, and praying. The timing of her move is not ours, but is in God’s hands. I’ve been here a month and have a plane ticket to go home on the 30th.

Her Last Move
by Kathleen Evenhouse, September 6, 2023

Mom sorted and organized
into three piles;
Pack.
Give away.
Toss.
“It’s just stuff.”
Her tears belied her words.

Stuff held memories: Stories
of this place,
of these friends,
of those blessings,
of our comfortable routines,
and some heartbreaks, too.

I was too young to understand
that the sorting
and its resulting tears
were a necessary part of
saying goodbye
to life as we knew it.

But the move occurred
and reoccured
in my growing-up years,
when children weren’t asked
for their opinions.
It just was,
and we learned how
to leave
and start all over again.

We followed a similar pattern
in my married years,
and gave the kids
opportunity for input.
But, was it really?
It was necessary,
so, it was.

Now Mom is readying herself
for her final address change.
Her mind has been sorting
memories for years,
but lately, the stuff doesn’t stay
in the boxes she chooses.
It flows in and out,
over and through,
and often mixes together:
the good, the bad, and the ugly;
the then, the now, and the not yet.

And we, her children,
have no input as to how or when
the final move will be.
That belongs to God.
But we know, Mom knows,
that there is a room
in God’s house
that has her name on the door.
It’s ready just for her.

Mama, get ready, there’s a train a-comin’
and you don’t need to sort
organize
choose
or pack.
You don’t need no baggage;
or need no ticket.
You just thank the Lord.

The tears are ours.
Sad tears
because we will miss her
in the world we shared.
Glad tears
because she has a new body,
a working mind,
no more pain or sorrow;
Instead, an eternity
in the presence of God.

And what do we keep
in our boxes?
Faith.
Hope.
And the greatest of these,
Love.