My mum passed peacefully in her sleep in April 2005. She was the glue that helped keep the family together. She was the most spiritual person in the entire family. My mum died in Australia where the family migrated to back in the late 50s. I was here in Athens, Greece when she passed. I got one of those calls in the middle of the night; you know the ones I mean. I knew my mum had passed. My daughter, Gia, called but she didn't have to say anything. I took off to my mum's sister Zoe's; it was the best I could do to feel closer to mum. Once there, I collapsed in a heap, it feels as though somebody has ripped out a part of your heart. You never quite feel whole again.
Lying on the bed crying and calling for mum, I asked her to send me a sign. If anybody could do that from the afterlife, it was her. Then I felt it... The soft touch of her hand gently caress my wet cheek. Was it my imagination? Was she really there in the spirit, trying to comfort me?
Aunt Zoe told me I had to pull myself together because I had things to do and I had to do them before it was too late. Thinking it was something spiritual to do with mum's passing, I asked her what I had to do. I was devastated to hear her say that I had to make a claim on my inheritance before my two sisters took everything! My response to Aunt Zoe was, "I don't want any of her material things. All I want is one last kiss from my mum. I would give anything for one last kiss! Just one last kiss!"
Soon after, Gia called again from Australia, "Mum, I took something from Nan's bedroom for you to remember her by." She said it was nothing much and it was almost finished but at least it was something personal and she knew how much it would mean to me. My mum never ever left the house without this. It was almost out and she'd not had the chance to buy a new one... My daughter had secreted my mum's favourite lipstick from her dressing table. She mailed it to me and I got my one last kiss! Mum had heard my wish.
Sometime later, again I was feeling fretful. I had my kandili lit and next to it, I had placed one of my favourite photos of mum. Again I felt the need for contact with her. I prayed and begged for another sign but nothing would come. I apologised for doubting that I had actually felt her caressing my cheek and promised I would never doubt again and begged for another sign. My question was "Mum, was it you who got Gia to send me the lipstick so I could have my one last kiss?... Poof! The flame of my kandili went out! There was my sign!
It upset me that a month had passed and I hadn't seen mum in my dreams at all. And one night, there she was. She appeared as she did in another of my favourite photos, young, extremely beautiful and very much alive. In this dream, I saw her in the back garden of our house in Australia. On the one side we had a lawn and then a low stone wall and behind that was a lemon tree and a vegetable garden. Mum started rising up from behind the stone wall and she was smiling at me. As I watched, she rose higher and higher until she was out of sight. As she rose, I cried out for her to please not go but she responded by raising her hand and waving goodbye.
I know to the day when I had that dream! I called Australia and the family had just come back from church. Gia told me that they had just held mum's 40 day memorial service. Within the orthodox religion it is believed that the spirit remains earth bound for 40 days before it crosses over.
I was not present at my mum's most important memorial service but I got something from her that I will always cherish... I got my one last caress, I got my one last kiss and I got my one last goodbye!
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