Your Final Hours - The Celestial City (III)

婆婆, Choy, Shim Hing

March 14 1926 - May 20 2025

"nurse came at 5:26 am, found ma had no pulse and confirm death.

we can stay in the room up to 10:00 a.m."

婆婆,

It is finished!

Christ is yours forevermore!

Rejoice pohpoh, rejoice!

Enter the Celestial City

Your Father has prepared a room for you!

Delight in the joy of His full presence

Forever covered in His love

7:05am

I’m sitting in the parking lot at school waiting for the custodian to disarm the alarm

The sun rises again in the clear blue sky 

Illuminating the freshly leaved trees, and everything it touches

It's a low of 3 degrees and a high of 16

Pohpoh, I’m going to come see you one last time on this side of heaven today

8:56am

I’m walking the same path to the hospital one last time

Singing songs and crying tears to soothe my soul 

Am I ready, my beloved matriarch?

O Lord, what will you have for me today?

It’s 9:06am

And I walk into your room

You're pale and white just like grandpa I remember 

I hold your hand once more with the cross gripped in between us

I take in every last feature of your face

No oxygen flowing

No longer gasping breaths

It’s still 

You’re still

and we know that He is God

There’s an incredible peace that washes over me

It’s like my mind goes blank

I’ve said everything I need to say

And so I can just silently gaze upon your face

What’s it like up there?

Is there fullness of joy in his presence?

We take one last picture together

Your restlessness is finally over

My restlessness finally at peace

Goodness and mercy have surely followed you

to the house of the Lord where you shall dwell forever

I kiss your forehead one last time

And can feel the lasting cold impression on my lips 

I'll see you soon, 婆婆

(Ok I think I should wash my hands now)

9:34am

We’re gathered around your bedside

Sharing memories of you

I smile, genuinely

Rejoicing in the rest you now have

I sing to you one last time

It Is Not Death To Die

10:46am

We’re back at the dim sum place I stopped by yesterday 

With no envy in my heart

I smile through tired eyes 

I’ll miss leaning over to hear you pray in a loud restaurant so we know when you’ve said "Amen"

I’ll miss cutting up your food for you with the scissors in your purse

I'll miss answering you when you ask "what am I eating"? 

I'll miss helping you up off your wheelchair and into the car

11:50pm

Ten minutes left 

Before the day is all done

Between visits with friends

A coffeehouse was planned for me to sing at tonight

We sang about sparrows and Christ's deep deep love

eternity and heaven and all things above

And so I sang 

weightlessly

joyfully

immersed in Christ's perfect peace
The perfect ending to your perfect beginning
婆婆, did you hear me?