June 5, 2015, that was the day my heart died. On June 5th, I buried my son. Oh, the official service was not until the 12th
but the burial took place way before that.
You see, when I received the news that my son, Joseph, had
been in a car accident, immediately my heart stopped. I know, because I felt it when I happened to
look up from the phone call and saw the expression on my daughter’s face, as
she watched mine. And when it stopped, I
stepped out of myself, and saw it pounding on the floor, placed at the bottom
of her feet as if it was snatched from me and put there for my eyes to see. Then I picked it up as I found the strength
to hold her and pray that all would be well with my son. But I lost it again.
As I made my way scrambling through the Chicago airport back
to New Jersey, I had to go back a couple of times, to pick my heart up again,
as I had left it in a few places: the cab on the ride to the airport, the
restroom stall, on the seat in the airport lounge, and even on the airplane. Then when I arrived in New Jersey, after
experiencing the longest plane ride of my life (although just short of an hour
and a half). Somehow when your heart stops, so does time, it seems, or takes
longer to pass, however you want to look at it.
But when I arrived, I had to pick it up again, because I needed the
strength to grab my luggage from the baggage claim.
I waited for a friend to pick me up and dropped my heart
there at the terminal a couple of times, only to pick it up when she arrived
and I embraced her as if I wanted to steal her heart and the life it had in
it. Only I could feel her heart was
broken too.
All I wanted to do was to see him--- if I could just…. see
him. If I could just lay my hands on him
and tell him I love him and how much I need him---- how much we all did… he
will be okay, I thought, in spite of the prognosis I heard from the doctor,
telling me from a New Jersey hospital that I needed to start my way back home
from Chicago.
I saw my husband first, and as I saw the pain in his eyes, my
spirit ran to hug him, and as I did I realized I didn’t hear his heart
either. Apparently both of ours had
stopped.
And so I picked mine up again and asked to see my son. If only I could….
As I walked into that room, 312A, they said… my heart
stopped again as I saw wire by wire, plug on top of plugs, needles side by
side, and machines, machines everywhere.
And I picked it up again as I reached out to lay my hands on him. If only I could… I reached out to hug him (be
careful, somebody said, “watch out for the wires.”). I held his hand, I kissed his forehead and I
gathered up the strength to speak to him, words of life, (the Word is your
life, I heard). “Joseph, it’s your
mother. I know you can hear me. I’m back from Chicago. You can wake up now… You don’t have to be
afraid, it’s gonna be okay. You’re gonna
be okay. We’re all here with you.” And I felt my heart flutter as I saw his
eyelids jump---- “He hears me,” I said aloud.
“Lord, just open his eyes.” I
stood there for a while, unaware of anyone else, continuing to speak life to
him, speak life over him, recalling the things he had done--- then the words he
had spoken to me, last, “I love you mom.”
And I felt my heart race as I remembered, my last words to him, “I love
you too, Joe.”
The doctors came in and I chose to leave the room, taking my
heart with me as I went into the private waiting room they had given us to “wait”
this out. If that was possible, I
remember thinking. In that room I saw
faces of hope, faces of belief, faces of love--- I saw some who had their
hearts ripped out as well, trying desperately to hold on to it, as I mustered
every piece that was in me to speak words of hope to them. We shared stories of God’s goodness, how He
healed this one, how He saved that one.
What He was doing in the life of another, and then I told how I was
diagnosed once and shared a blog about it--- Diagnosis: Devil Is a Liar--- there would be a part 2 to
that blog I said…
That was the longest night of my life--- as I went back into
312A several times--- heart stopping --- heart revived with every movement of
his eyes--- “It’s involuntary” they said.
But I believed otherwise. I saw a
raised eyebrow, I said. I even saw a
teardrop. Then how could that be, I
asked. It’s involuntary, they said
again. And my heart would stop again.
How could I keep dying and come back so many times, I
thought to myself. “Lord how many times
can my heart stop and I keep on living?”
I found myself in the bathroom and the questions came--- and
the doubt came, along with the whispers--- “every day Joseph would not leave
your presence without you laying your hand on his forehead and praying over
him--- every day. Every day, he would
rub your stomach, call you “big mama” or some other nickname he happened to
come up with; every day, he would touch your hair, hug you from behind or
simply say, “I love you mom… can I have a hug?”
And I interrupted my thoughts with “Lord I WILL NOT bury my son!” And my heart would stop again… “I got him…” “Keep believing,” I heard Him say.
I mustered up my strength after my heart got going again and
I would go and look at him, speaking life to Him, again… holding his hand,
kissing his forehead (carefully, not to touch the wires, I was told). Refusing to see what I saw with my natural
eyes, but each time that machine alarmed, forced to see what was there. And my heart would stop again.
Friends came and as much as we resisted, convinced us to go
home and rest. Not much of that
happened, even though it should have been easy to do so, when your heart has
been ripped from your soul.
Getting up the next morning was easy since I never really slept,
and we made our way back to the hospital, hearts in hand, as heavy as they were
to carry. Placed it back in my body as I
saw friends who needed to be encouraged… but as I saw my Joe, lifeless, I lost
it once again. But quickly picked it up to let that nurse have it for not watching
over him, for not tending to him as the prior one did. “You are not by his side,” I told her, “you
are NOT doing all you can… the other nurse never left him, and the second that
alarm went off, she adjusted whatever needed adjusting.” And my heart stopped again, as she tried to
explain “But I am.” Yet I refused to believe her, choosing instead to pick up
my heart where I left it and continue to share it with my Joe… “Joe, you can
hear me… that’s enough now, you can open your eyes…” recalling and quoting
every Scripture, every Word that I have ever heard before concerning, life,
living, healing and the promises of God.
“You shall not die, Joe, but live to declare the glory of the Lord.” That’s
what I said to him.
Hours went by and we were summoned into 312A again, and the
doctor said, after performing the three tests to determine if your son was
alive, he failed all three. Then the
words that no mother (or father) ever wants to hear came out of that doctor’s
mouth… I’m sorry, your son is dead.
And so was my heart.
It completely stopped. I believed
I died too in that moment. I stopped living.
As I heard my husband wail, I quickly picked it up as I comforted
him. I don’t even know if I had the
strength to let out a whimper. I just
remember thinking about all the talks I had with God. “This wasn’t supposed to be God. You said you had him. You said to keep the faith.” And since I couldn’t rely on God, I had to
shelter my family from the hurt myself. So
I kept my heart beating this time, for them, for Joseph. My husband and I gathered what strength we
could from each other and we went and told our daughters and those in that
waiting room with us… Grief shouted from the rooftop, piercing sounds, wails,
screams, was all I heard in that room.
No one was immune, that I saw, except me, as I just had a yearning to
comfort and support. I hugged, I grabbed,
as I felt my heart trying to get away from me again, but it didn’t.
And in that moment, I felt a peace that I know only God
could have given me, as I felt my heart lock into place. “I got you,” He said. “Breathe.
Just remember to breathe.” And
those were and have been the very words I spoke to others who have loved
Joseph, who have come to me since, distraught and broken. Breathe.
Just remember to breathe. Inhale,
exhale.
June 5th, that was the day. I buried my son. And I buried my heart. June 5th that was the day, God
gave me a new one. That’s what He said
when He told me to breathe.
This new heart still hurts though. It doesn’t quite fit like the old one does,
but it works. Each time I am reminded of
what happened on that day, it tries to escape my body, but God wrapped it so
tightly in His love that it can’t. And I
remember to breathe. “Just breathe,” God
said.
June 5th, that was the day. The day my Joe died. Yeah, June 5th, that was the day
my heart died. And my life will never be
the same. “But it will get better,” God
said, “as I remember to breathe.”
I’m breathing.
Because God is real.
Sis. E
Copyright 2015
www.butgodisreal.com
www.intheshadowofgrief.com
