ALIENS AND STRANGERS

She’s ninety-five years old

with her brilliant head still

resting on bent shoulders.

My Elfin mom, always a petite

stunner at four foot' ten"...

She never belonged here, was

always a deeper soul, wiser and

better than we could ever deserve

But that’s how God works.

Her quiet Joy through all things was

the perfect gift, a kind of manna

to sustain and share with us. It fed

her through The Great Depression,

World War Two, and three sons to

raise so she would have plenty of

good reasons to pray.

And she has.

Long and fervently.

Every day

And saved us all from evils

we don’t even know.

I’ve called fairly often from

halfway across the continent.

We don’t have much to say.

"Hey, mom, whatcha doin’?

“Oh, you know, I just finished

my prayers. I’ll be getting lunch

ready in a minute, how are you”

“I’m fine, just wanted to hear

your voice, tell you I wish I hadn’t

moved so far away.”

“I know, I miss you, too…”

And so it goes.

Or went.

Her painful knees, dulled

hearing, and macro degeneration

have kept her down for a couple

of years now, but it didn’t stop

her from finishing her second

book. She says...

“There is none but God, only

He is Eternal. That He deigns to

walk with mankind is incredible

in its concept, and overwhelming

in its love.”

(Aliens and Strangers, p. 21)

She knows what she is talking about.

She’s seen it all, from the soft beauty

of great love to the knives of

heartbreak, and betrayal, but

never left the top of her mountain

and has always been a treasure of

insight and deep, well-earned wisdom.

She entered hospice care this week,

and I know she’ll leave us soon.

Don’t get me wrong, I know what

happens next… We, my brothers,

and all her beautiful progeny, will

cry for ourselves, and the empty

place she left behind.

We know she didn’t belong here,

and she taught us we don’t either;

gave us the sure knowledge that

in a dark and evil world, we will

always be Aliens and Strangers.

Beyond here is our true home, where

everything becomes crystal clear

and tears are impossible.

I like to think that being in 

the presence of God must be

like Tolkien described it...

“The journey doesn't end here.

Death is just another path,

one that we all must take.

The grey rain-curtain of this world

rolls back, and all turns to silver glass,

and then you see it, White shores,

and beyond, a far green country

under a swift sunrise."

Author's Note

My mom published her second book "Aliens and Strangers" in early 2024. It is a wonderful guide for new Christians and explains many of the things newbies usually have to find out the hard way. a few months later, her health took a dramatic plunge and she entered hospice care. And recovered. And kept her dignity. Her mind at 96 is a razor... but, she's slowly diminishing. And what a great loss she will be, of the wide extended family of my aunts and uncles she is the only one left. Her generation made me, and kept making me until just these last years when they have died. This might be her last Mother's Day... My tribute...

Reviews

[ETERNITY]

Happy Mothers Day, Volcano's mom.
When my mom passed she said, "Don't cry for me. I have simply stepped into a different dimension. I will always be with you."
I believe that, Vol. Mom will always be with her kids. Sometimes you will still see, hear and feel her with you. As long as there is LIFE there is HOPE. LIFE IS ETERNAL. Hugs, Darling.

[Vol]

Dessi,
Thank you! I hope she gets to rest up awhile once she gets there, then she'll glow...
Vol

[Lorry]

And there you go again Vol, disproving those fiendish sciency boffin types who like to measure distance to the nth degree, while you just simply pick up a phone and you're right there with her again!
Make sure to cherish those nothing much calls, as they are the things I miss most about my own wee mammy. You know those calls where you'd have to check the TV guide to make sure you weren't disturbing her fave shows, like soap operas that have been running as long as TV has been invented, where the same old s**t happens but she can't miss an episode now... how would she sleep not knowing! 😃
It's the ones with the conversation that she insists I know who she's talking about, who is always called whatsername and it's like trying to solve the Million pound question on who wants to solve a puzzle within an enigma wrapped in a puzzle millionaire! 😃
I remember visiting once at the same time another whatsername was visiting and she gave me into trouble for not remembering her. I apologised, as well as shrugging at the whatsername whom I had never met until that very moment.
There are hundreds if not thousands of these calls and each one remembered makes me smile, especially the ones I zone out of and forget if she is talking about someone I know or a fictional TV character! 😃
I miss them every day. Especially the mispronouncablcables, where she does that thing her and my dad did and mix up words just to make people smile, like when she gets overcome with emultion, instead of emotion, or asks me to bring her a pity of semi-skilled milk in the morning. The list is bloody endless, but so are the smiles they bring.
And don't be assuming anything Vol, because that just makes an a*s out of us and me. She might very well see us both off and we'll be sitting there with egg on our faces and the last thought of "oh s**t, I thought I could reach that!" Being our epitaph. 😃

[Vol]

Lorry,
Thank you for all the time and effort in response to mom. I have a strange response to the concept of death... gleaned from two years as a hospital emergency room orderly where I saw more death, blood guts and bones than a lot of soldiers... and the farm where my two hogs, Pork Chop and bacon, turned out to be quite delicious, as were the occasional chickens raised from eggs, and wild dogs needed a quick trip to canine heaven via, .22 long rifle.
What I am saying is I can finds nothing sad about waking up on the other side, especially after a 96 year long passage. She's certainly not going gently, and all her strength is for sparing us regrets or concerns.
Between my Christian beliefs, and what I have learned of quantum physics, gravity, time, and this perfectly balanced universe. That bit of her that will leave when she dies is indiscernible to us. My father died in my arms, and absolutely NOTHING happened: all the parts and pieces right there taking up space, consciousness-soul-spirit elsewhere.
Nope, her life has been cause for celebration and that's not a sad thing!
Vol

[Lorry]

Pork chop and bacon??? 😃

[Vol]

And my six year old son in the pen with a stick yelling "NOT BY THE HAIR OF MY CHINNY CHIN CHIN!"read moreAnd my six year old son in the pen with a stick yelling "NOT BY THE HAIR OF MY CHINNY CHIN CHIN!"
Time of my life...

[Relic]

A great poem full of wisdom and inspiration. I'm sure they'll be a better place when this one is through.

[Vol]

Relic,
No question... well except the obvious one... Mom, come back and tell us what it's really like over there...
Vol

[John the Baptist]

A very nice offering for Mothers Day here. All of us should have had such mothers, Vol, and you have every right to count your blessings. Of course you will feel the void when she leaves, but few can claim better times in this place than she had.

[Vol]

John,
My grandmother's blood was green. we used to kid her saying she could never put up a fence because the posts would take root and grow into shade trees. Mom does that with words...
Vol

[MCS]

A beautiful tribute to an amazing strong woman. I cried as I read these words. I’m missing my mom today.

[Vol]

She carried a ton of power in that tiny frame...