Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

“But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.” – Hebrews 11:16

My mother passed away 27 years ago at the age of 65. The last 15 years of her life were difficult for her. She suffered multiple hospitalizations from an autoimmune disease that destroyed her kidneys, most likely a result of her exposure to radiation from the atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima, Japan.

Although she endured so many hardships in her life, I remember her as a devoted mother. When I was to start kindergarten, she handmade 30 dresses for me in which to start school. (She was quite a seamstress!) She wanted me to have a dress for each day of the month. She taught me many things as I grew, including how to iron my father’s shirts, how to make rice (every Japanese girl had to know this!), and how to sew an invisible hem by hand.

Growing up in Japan, my mom was raised a Shintoist, but she never stopped me from attending church. After I was saved at the age of 12, I spent years sharing the gospel with my mom and praying for her salvation. Finally, in 1992, I had the privilege of leading my mother to Christ at the side of her hospital bed. Her excitement over being saved has never left me. I can remember her exclaiming to the first nurse that came into the room, “This is my first day as a Christian!” Along with my mother, the nurse and I cried tears of joy!

Her last year of life was a very difficult one, and when she entered the hospital for the last time, she was placed on a ventilator due to her inability to breathe well on her own. She remained alert and communicated to me by writing. When the realization came that she would never be able to be weaned off the breathing machine, and would be transferred to a chronic respiratory facility nearly 50 miles away, she made the decision to come off the ventilator. The doctor explained to her and me that her own lungs were not strong enough to sustain life, and without the aid of the machine, carbon dioxide levels would rise in her body, and she would eventually go to sleep and pass away.

My mother and I discussed this throughout the night, and while she fully understand the ramifications of coming of the ventilator, she did not want a future miles away from me, John, and her beloved grandchildren. Once she had made the decision, she slept peacefully. Early the next morning, as I sat beside her, she startled me by repeatedly hitting my hand and pointing to a corner of the ceiling. I looked, but saw nothing. She hastily scribbled a note.

“Don’t you see them?”

“Who?” I asked. No one was in the room, nor had been for quite a while. I thought she must be hallucinating.

She wrote furiously and handed me another paper. I read it as she kept pointing to the same spot.

“The angels. They’re in white!”

Stunned, I looked back to the ceiling again. I never saw them, but I never doubted they were there, ready to escort my mother to heaven. Their presence gave her an incredible assurance about the decision she had made. I still have those notes as a reminder than there are definitely angels among us. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14)

Later, when the doctor arrived, my mother calmly wrote on a piece of paper the words “I want to go home.” He looked at her through very compassionate eyes, and said, “Sawako, you cannot go home. You need this machine to breathe.” Her eyes had the old familiar sparkle in them that I remembered so well. “No,” she wrote. “I want to go home to Jesus.” The doctor was speechless. He looked at me, and through my tears, I nodded and said, “She is ready to meet her Saviour.”

In less than 24 hours, my mother got her heart’s desire. She went home… to Jesus.

Before the Lord created me, He planned my life with you.
And He prepared you specially for all that you would do.
Then Jesus chose the best for me and sent me to your side
So I could see His life in you and you could be my guide.

You were there to teach me of Jesus before I understood,
You were there to tenderly love me when I thought nobody could.
You were there to comfort and hold me close when my days were filled with pain
I have seen God above through a mother’s love, all because you were there.
All because you were there…

(from “You Were There” by Ron and Shelly Hamilton)

“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.” – Proverbs 31:10

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Happy Mother’s Day, Mom! I love you so much, and I still miss you more than words can say. I can’t wait to see you again one day in heaven!