The time period between December 2013 and December 2014 has indeed presented challenging situations and circumstances for the Washington-Gonzalez family. Last December 7th, my wife unexpectedly lost her sister Shirley Gonzalez to cardiac failure, only to be followed the very next week by the passing of my mom Easter Washington on December 13th. Unfortunately, the sudden passing of my sister-in-law Shirley was too much for my mother-in-law Rita Gonzalez, who then was suddenly entered into hospice care the following month, with an expected remaining life expectancy of only month. Because of the prayers of many, and because she refused to give up, Mother Rita defied all odds and surprised everyone by actually physically improving to live eight months longer than predicted to September 23rd. Unfortunately, within two weeks of my mother-in-laws passing, two of my wifes sisters were diagnosed with kidney failure, with one diagnosed with cancer! Despite how it originally appeared, both have been slowly improving. It has been quite a fight, but they too are fighters and are believing God for total restoration and healing. I salute them for their courage. Since my dear moms passing, it has at times been a rocky road for me personally. When someone so close to you is no longer with you, it is indescribable how that feels, and grief doesnt always immediately evaporate into thin air. It may initially may become too difficult to describe your inner feelings because at times, you either dont know how you feel, or cant describe them. In a very innocent sense, many Christians who think they are comforting you when they tell you to stop crying, or your mom was saved, shes with the Lord, so no more crying really arent, although they dont mean any harm. What I discovered during this journey is that as much as I loved my father and longed for him after his death, it was in no way comparable to the loss of my mom. The pain that I felt after my fathers death was related to the fact that he never saw me grow up as a man. The pain that I felt after my mothers death was much more than that; that is, it was almost as if a part of me left too. In time, only God can only mend a broken heart because depending on your own personal experience(s), losing a loved one will be unique. The last time I saw my father alive was in a comatose state, in which I knew that even as a young boy, I would never see him alive anymore. The last time I saw my mom alive was one year ago, in my arms, while saying goodbye to her, at the same location, and thus, in the same home. In my state of recovery, I have found that you will need individuals around you who have had similar experiences, especially with deceased mothers because remember I told you earlier, that losing a mother is not at all the same as losing your father, no matter how close you were to him. During this long excursion of recovery, I would like to thank those who have been of great help to me during this past year who have also lost their moms as well. I would like to thank John Veal, whose suddenly lost his mom several years ago, at the age of only 63, and Marcus Christopher, better known as Marcus Bell, who although lost his mom many years before, was able to relate to my newfound experience and offer helpful insights on coping with such a loss. Those who have not experienced such losses, will not have proper insight on how to help you because unfortunately they cannot feel what you feel. I would also like to thank my church family, and especially Apostle Sheraine Lathon, who supported me during the past year. I would also like to thank Bill Burton, and Robin da Silva. Most importantly, I would like to thank my wife Jacqueline Washington, who has always had the utmost faith and confidence and me, and has stuck with me through thick and thin. In retrospect, I salute the late Shirley Gonzalez, Easter Washington, and Rita Gonzalez, who are gone but certainly not forgotten. I pray for all those who have experienced losses during the past year and are recovering. Shalom.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 02:44:33 +0000
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