You Don't Ever Lose Your Mother

My mom died last week. She was 92 and so ready to go. She just wore out. She was tired. The liturgy of Commendation of the Dying is so great when you pay attention to it. I have presided at more than 325 funerals in 40 years of ministry. Often I was able to get to the dying and use this liturgy with others so I knew it well. Yet, when people are grieving the words seem to pass them by. But I know the words well and know their comfort for it is in this liturgy that we release the dying to the arms of our Lord.

When it came time for my mom's release, I called upon my good friend and Pastor, Jim Gianantonio to pray this liturgy with us. I needed to be my mom's son on this occasion and not her Pastor. And the words did what they were supposed to do. They helped me release mom from this earth so she could "go and be with her people." It was then that I grieved.

Some folks talk about a person's death as a loss. I understand that. But you never really lose your mom. Her voice rings in my ears always. Her memory is very much alive in mine. Stories are shared by friends and family. You never ever lose your mom. I remember what she looked like when I was young. I remember what she looked like when I was in high school. I remember what she looked like in her old age. Those things are never lost. And, she is not lost, I know where she is and that causes me great celebration.

Those whom we love, we never lose. Do I wish she was still with us? Actually, no. While she wasn't suffering, she was miserable trapped in a body that didn't work very well. While she was often forgetful, her mind was still very sharp. Her sense of humor rocked on. She needed to be released. I cried because goodbyes aren't so easy. Yet, this goodbye isn't forever.

You never lose your mom.