Shortly I am going to quit working.....

Eight days ago my mother-in-law had two seizures.  She had been in a nursing home for the past two months, because of a stroke.  The seizures seemed to indicate a new stroke had occurred.  She was transferred from the nursing home to the hospital.  Between Sunday and Tuesday, she seemed to be making progress toward recovering sufficiently to go back to the nursing home and resume rehab.  We expected the transfer to occur Wednesday morning.


But...
Tuesday afternoon she went into atrial fibrillation.  Her heart rate became way too rapid.  Numerous attempts to bring the rate down with both oral and IV medications were unsuccessful.  Her urinary output dropped significantly in spite of being on IV hydration.   She began having difficulty swallowing.  By Friday, it appeared that she had developed aspiration pneumonia.


Thursday night, my husband and I got out her living will and reread it.  Friday morning, I told the doctor what she had indicated in the living will.  He said that we were now at a point where we needed to decide whether to attempt aggressive treatment or switch to just "comfort measures."


Over the prior two days, she had on several occasions indicated to me that she was tired of fighting and just wanted to go see Jesus.  When my father-in-law arrived on Friday morning, although she had seemed increasingly weak, she stated forcefully, "Now, I am going to tell you something you probably already know.  I am going to see the Lord soon."


Later when the doctor asked for the decision, he said that he just wanted her to be comfortable.  Some of her medications were discontinued and the IV hydration was removed.  Pain medications were available as needed.


Late Friday she said to me, "Shortly I am going to quit working."


I have pondered that sentence.  Because she has experienced some confusion, I could imagine that she thought she was a young mother who had spent the day tending to her children, doing the laundry, working in the garden and a host of other tasks.  She had worked hard all day and was about ready to sit down and relax.  I could also imagine that she knew that she was in her nineties and living in a worn and fragile body.  She was so, so tired and needed to give up the fight and rest in the arms of Jesus.  Either way her opinion on what needed to happen was clear.


Family arrived to say goodbyes late Friday and on Saturday.  We brought a keyboard into her room and played and sang old hymns of the church that were her favorites on Saturday evening and Sunday.  Sunday afternoon we decided that some of the family members were in need of decent sleep.  The plan was for my husband and me to stay with her until 2 AM Monday morning and then my husband's two brothers would arrive and take the next shift.


Shortly after 11 PM on Sunday, she decided she had worked long enough and hard enough and it was time to quit.  She had been breathing very rapidly for several hours.  Finally and mercifully, two quick gasps were followed by silence.  She went to heaven for a much deserved rest.


Her work is done.


I am grateful for her life and for the rest she now has because of her trust in the Savior.