My story begins on August 15th 2013, the day "before" my husband was called home to live the rest of his life with our Lord,Jesus. It was three years after a battle with three different cancers over a period of three years; a battle that took him back and forth to Penn MED in Philadelphia to our home in Reading, Pa. where we lived our whole life and were blessed with twelve of the most wonderful ,caring children we could ever have asked for. And, we did ask for them way before we were even married. From those twelve children, we now have twenty two grandchildren and six great grand children ( by the end of the month, we'll be able to say "seven".) So, you can see our marriage was truly blessed. On the 15th of August, back in 2013;my husbands suffering was coming to an end. First he asked me "how' I could get him into a nursing home. I told him I would "never" do that; that between our children and me , we would continue to take care of him at home even if
i had to quit my job. He said, that he didn't think i was going to be able to take care of him, anymore. He was on o2 day and night and still having trouble breathing. Later that evening, he asked me to call an ambulance to take him to the hospital;so, I called and we were there shortly after. The doctor came to me a short time later, and told me that his lung collapsed and there was no more they could do for him that today was the last day we'd have with him before he would leave us, to join our Lord. I had so "many" mixed emotions. His suffering would be coming to an end, but the man of my life, the man I have been with since I was fifteen years old,would no longer be with me.
It felt like someone "ripped" my heart out of my chest. I called home and had the kids call everybody and get them to the hospital. He didn't pass until the next morning; but he was alert and had a chance to talk to first our Grandchildren,( while our children and I were talking to the doctor), and then all of our children.He told them all, just how much he loved them and was so proud of them and how he wouldn't have ever wanted to have a life without them. Two of our sons, were not there when we were first told. Our one son who lives in Maryland and another son who lives in Florida. By the time our son from Maryland, came( about three hours later), he had already been administered Morphene, and was in a sleep. Johnny brought their youngest son who was only six months old, he only got to see him after he was first born. When John went to the bed and said, "Hi, Dad; someone's here to see you", he leaned over the bed with Logan and my husband sat right up and gave him a hug. Peter didn't get to the hospital until after 11:00pm.( hours later) and when he said ( Hi, Dad, It's me, Peter; again he sat right up and gave him a hug.It was just like he was waiting to say good bye to everyone of them.) It wasn't long after that , that the doctor told us that when the machine next to husband went down to "0" he would take his last breath. Everybody circled around him, and we softly sang Amazing grace, we wanted to sing him into heaven. ( this was at 12:38am, August 16th, 2013) After he passed the pastor asked if i wanted some time alone with my husband before he called the funeral home. I told him I'd love that, and he proceeded to take the rest of the family down to the waiting room, down the hall. I climbed up on his bed and was telling him( with tears streaking down my cheeks), how much I loved him and what a great life we had together, Then I said, "Do you realize that in less than a month, we'd have been married for 49 years; and "you" skipped out on me! Don't think that because you skipped out on me, I don't want a present! For our anniversary , send me a bluebird; a rainbow, NO, make that a double rainbow; so, I'll know you are alright and in the arms of our Lord!!" Our Anniversary is September 12th. For the next month, that is "all" our family talked about. My family said, " Mom, if you don't get your rainbow, we'll paint it on the side of your house." Our anniversary came, and I awoke to the sound of pouring down rain against my window. My one daughter called and said, "Mom, get ready, I'm taking you to breakfast." She arrived, after 9:00am with a bouquet of red roses,( just like the ones her father would get me every year.) We were done with breakfast and the rain just wouldn't stop! I asked her to take me to her brother's in Hamburg.He said there was a grocery store that he wanted to take me to where I could "stretch" my dollars. We got to his house a little after noon and it looked like night time, it was so dark. He lived on a farm on top of a hill. there were streaks of lightning, in back of his house and it was still pouring, but on top of his house, the sun was shining. I said ,"Let's get out of the car there just has to be a rainbow!" But - it was not to be, When we got home the phone was ringing, it was one of our daughters who lives in Philadelphia, ( we have three that live there). They said they wanted to take me out to diner, and asked where I wanted to go. I said I didn't care; and then they suggested "Stokesay Castle". I said, "Oh, that's where I took your father on his twenty first birthday, 51 years age and haven't been there since. It was a little after six when everybody started piling in from all over. We headed up the mountain to the castle. It was six oclock, but looked more like ten. It was so dark and the rain hadn't let up one bit all day. It was coming down in buckets. When we got there we waited a few minutes for one last daughter to arrive and then we all got out of the cars, ( with our umbrellas) and walked to the door. I took one step inside of the castle, and my son-in-law, who was hooding the door, said," OMG, Mom, turn around!!" There in that black sky was the most beautiful, and brightest RAINBOW, I've ever seen. and as I looked up -bam! it turned into a "Double Rainbow!"We cried, we laughed, we screamed, we PRAYED. Do I believe in the Power of Love ? I sure do!! Do I believe in GOD?" More than ever!!!! That month before "my" rainbow,I'd hyperventilate;I'd faint and have to be taken to the hospital, I even fainted in the ambulance; but, since that Rainbow; I'm fine. I know just where he's at and who he's with and I'm looking forward to joining him in heaven some day!! GOD is GOOD!!!! xxxooo <3