Family Spirits 2

My mother died Mothers' Day 2008, just a few minutes before midnight. She had been in the hospital for weeks because of lung cancer and emphysema. My mom did not want to die anywhere around May 5th because that is my oldest sons' birthday and my father died 3 years before on May 3rd. I know this because she had a close call a year before near his birthday and she told me she didn't want to die near his birthday.

About a week and a half later I fell ill with pneumonia and had to be hospitalized. Knowing my abilities, my husband suggested I not go to the hospital my mother died in. It really didn't matter. One night I woke up not being able to breathe and pushed the call button because I couldn't find my oxygen line. The nurses didn't feel I needed oxygen all the time so they tossed it to the side. A code had been called on another floor so I guess the nurses went to that because the hospital was severely understaffed. I did not know this when I checked in. I got out of bed to look for help but couldn't find a nurse. I walked back to my room and at the doorway, I felt like I was going to pass out because I couldn't breath. I was leaned against the doorway and almost passed out but I could feel a spirit help me back to bed as I was shaky.

I really don't recall pressing the call button again but a nurse came to my room. She asked what I needed and I wheezed out that I couldn't breath. She got annoyed with me and told me I should have put my oxygen on, I told her I didn't know where it was. She found it on the floor. I realized the spirit with me was my mother because I could feel how mad she was.

I was on a special bed that was an air mattress. I woke up in severe pain in my back around 4:30 Saturday morning. I have had several vertebrae fused and I was lay on the metal frame. Nobody believed me it was broken and told me to go back to bed. I couldn't and called my husband to come get me. I left AMA that morning.

My mothers' favorite tree was Dogwood. I had my husband plant several but they had never flowered even though they where mature. When we got home I saw that the Dogwood that is right in front of where I park my van had a flower on it. I just started crying and when my husband asked why, I showed him the flower and said that my mom was with me in the hospital.

I had called my doctor to tell him I left the hospital. His nurse told me to come in as soon as possible. I told him if he wanted me in the hospital I would go to the other one, but he told me I didn't need to because my lungs were almost clear and gave me a prescription and sent me home.

That spring and summer ALL of my Dogwoods bloomed for the first time. A sign from my mother that all was good.