You may or may not have heard/read the devastating news, but my mother passed away in her sleep on May 20th, 2019. None of our family expected it. Not my brother or sister, not my cousins, not my aunts. Nobody. This is the first time I'm writing anything about it other than small Facebook posts.
She had been dieting and trying to lose weight and had actually lost quite a bit over the past month or so. She had also been getting out of the house more often than I've seen her do in a very long time. I was glad to see her starting to enjoy life more. The last time I saw her was Mother's Day, when me, my brother, and our sister took her out to Cheddar's.
After we left, I told her I loved her and gave her my gift: A coffee-scented candle from the Country Porch in Muddy Pond, and a funny card—she loved to laugh—that said it was discounted because it had a "slight defect." Not only did it say "Happy Birthday" instead of "Happy Mother's Day" but it also had the words written upside down. I wrote a personal message (upside down as well, hee-hee) saying something to the effect that she and I needed to have a Mother/Son date over coffee soon.
We never got to have that date. I wish more than anything that we did.
Thankfully, I saw her just before Mother's Day, out in town at a local coffee shop with my sister. I was there for one of the writer's meetings I frequently attend. If only I'd known what would soon come about two weeks after, I would have spent every second enjoying coffee with the two of them.
But we never know. That's why it's so important to spend the most time we can with our loved ones. Cherish every moment. Make time on the days when you have none instead of saying "I'll see you on the next game night." There might never be a next time. You'll never regret being with them after they're gone—best of all you won't have to wish you did.
Rest in peace, Deborah (Debi) Sue Gullette Wade, aka Mom. I'll remember you always and continue clinging to the hope I'll see you again some day. Even so come, Lord Jesus.
P.S. While writing this, I forgot to mention my new single. I wrote "Fields of Light" as an instrumental several months back. It originated as some random chords I began playing as testimonial background music while playing in church with the Gilbert Family. I soon developed it into the song it is now.
When I play/hear the song, I always picture what it would be like to wake up one day in Heaven and picture opening my eyes and sitting up to look upon glowing fields (hence the title) leading to the heavenly gates. Little did I know, I would dedicate this song to the memory of my mother many months after writing, and weeks after recording, it.