A friend of ours, Drew Porter, let us know that his mother was dying and that he was going to Colorado to see her for what was likely the final time. Following his visit, he sent the following email:
I returned to California yesterday after having witnessed a miracle. I left California two weeks ago to say good-bye to my mom. I did say good-bye yesterday, but it was followed with, “I’ll see you in April.” I have referred to my mom on various occasions as the Energizer Bunny and ‘one tough broad.’ She exhibited both in the past two weeks. When I arrived, she looked close to death. I think that somewhere during my visit, she just decided that she was not done. The time I spent in Colorado with her also illustrated the collective benefit of a lifetime of good deeds, the power of forgiveness and patience, and the benefits of the commandment of bikur cholim (visiting the sick).
The way mom my has lived her life brought a stream of relatives for visits to her from as far away as Portland, Maine and Portland, Oregon. She received well wishes from relatives in Israel, France and Australia. They all came or communicated because of who she is and the righteous life she has led. In turn, their presence and their messages showed the power of bikur cholim, in that I believe it gave my mom more strength with which to recover.
When I left yesterday, she had beaten the RSV that nearly killed her. She was out of bed every day for several hours, getting dressed every day and exercising. Her lungs are now clear. She is off the narcotics that had allowed her to breathe and to deal with the pain and is beginning to regain her strength. Instead of saying good-bye yesterday, I was able to say, in essence, l’hitraot (translation note, Hebrew for “till next time”); I’ll be back to see you next month.
Today is truly a good shabbes.Shabbat shalom,Drew
