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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Exhale (08/15/13)
The monotonous consistent beeping was the only sound in the room. Grandmother who had always been so vibrant and alive, now, lies in her hospice bed, her breathing barely audible. She who was once so full of the joy of living and the love of the Lord is now quietly awaiting her eternal resting place and her glorious departure from this earth, to her heavenly home.


In stark contrast to this sterile surrounding I can recall her home which was warm and inviting with flowered wallpaper, doilies and photographs of her family members. It was so safe, so lovely and inviting, so Grandma. Now her family who were the faces in the frames are at her bedside and I am brought back to the present. We are here to honor her. As she was there for her family in life we are here for her now. “I will always love you, always, always and after my life’s last breath I will still love you,” Grandma was known for saying to each and every one of us and we knew that this was true.


So sweet is the expression on her face, with eyes closed, in serene anticipation of her journey. After offering words of love, a squeeze of my hand and a smile which was still so gentle I find that I have become the one who was being comforted and reassured; that was Grandmother’s way.

As the family held hands in prayer and with her last whispered words, “Lamb of God I come,” our beloved Grandmother released her last breath. The sound of the beeping was now extended into one long tone and announced her release as she flew away. Realizing that I had been holding my own breath, I exhale.
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This article has been read 769 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
C D Swanson 
08/22/13
Thank you for this moving and inspiring entry.

It touched my heart.

God bless~
Brenda Rice
08/22/13
This was a little to close for comfort as it has only been two years since my dad passed.

It touched my heart deeply. It felt authentic and the emotion was genuine.

Thanks for sharing a heart felt story with us.
Jan Ackerson
08/23/13
A tender recreation of a moving moment--thank you for sharing it with us.

You switched tenses several times--from past to present and back again. This would work very well in present tense, to give the reader a sense of immediacy.

Loved grandmother's last words--very sweet and touching.