A Mother’s Words
Written by: Jackie Jordan
The news is not good. My wife’s treatments have failed. The truth is that Joyce is dying. Pray, she says. I don’t believe in miracles. I’m a pragmatist.
“Life is something that is precious to us, and time is a gift from God. Remember the good days,” Joyce says to her daughter and husband.
“Alice, my precious daughter, life is a wonderful thing waiting for you to unlock its mysteries. So, do not fear losing me. I will always be with you in spirit.”
“What’s a spirit, Mommy?”
“Look at the wind, Sweetie.”
“You know that you can’t see the wind, Mommy.”
“Yoko Ono said that when the trees bow down their heads, the wind is passing by.”
“So, is the wind a spirit, Mommy?”
“No, but you can feel spirits around you, just like you can feel the wind.”
“Don’t go away, Mommy. I need you.”
“I have to, my baby. It’s my time.”
After the funeral, the doctor says that Alice will talk again, that her condition is temporary – a psychosomatic disorder. She used to be a talkative girl, but since her mother died, she has fallen silent. Her toys are untouched, she refuses to watch television, her schoolwork is failing, and she will not eat. Her condition is dismal. Visiting the psychiatrist every Monday is not producing any positive results. The loss of her mother is overwhelming, and her condition is worsening.
Three months later, Alice has to be committed to a treatment facility. Her anorexia is critical; a feeding tube and an IV are necessary to keep her alive. Frustrated at her lack of progress, her father is hiring a spiritualist to work with the child. The father reasons this out with the doctor and tells him that it cannot hurt his daughter at this point.
Sister Theresa used to be a Catholic nun. Her proclivity to the spirit world caused her to be excommunicated from the church. She is now a well-known spiritualist that makes appearances on various talk shows in the U.S.
Sister Theresa says, “I feel a strong presence around your daughter. Everyone please leave the room. Alice, I’m going to help you. I know what’s wrong, and I will make you better.”
Alice looks at her with distant eyes and thinks, “Who is this strange woman? And, how is she going to help me?”
“Your mother is very close by, Alice. You can’t see her, but she wants you to know that she loves you and misses you. She wants me to open the window for you.”
Opening the window, Sister Theresa notices thunder clouds looming overhead. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blows leaves inside the room, swirling around Alice’s bed. Alice sits straight up and cries, “Mommy!” With considerable effort, Sister Theresa gets her to walk to the window and look outside.
Alice feels the wind in her face, and as she looks out at the trees, she says, “I see you Mommy. The trees are bowing their heads.”