Tribute to my mother: Jean Wise

Insert: Wednesday night I came home from supper with Dave to a message on my answering machine. My brother had been trying to reach me all day on the phone I washed in the washing machine. He was calling to tell me that our mother had had a heart attack that morning and died. I was shocked and devastated. She had just come to visit me 3 weeks before and she was doing so well. She had fallen when she got home and was staying in a nursing home to rehabilitate. That morning at the exact time she was leaving this earth I had a dream. I was in a softball game. I asked my position and the pitcher told me “first base”. I realized I didn’t have a glove and told them but they didn’t respond and started the game. When there was a play at first, they would roll the ball to me. We made several plays that way and I was amazed at their kindness. In the last play the second baseman rolled the ball to me and it went past me. I went after it and found myself crawling through sand. It was very tiring and difficult to do. The ball had rolled into a sand pit and I crawled in after it. When I got the ball I was too weak to throw it back into the game. I crawled with the ball up to these rocks on the side of the pit and positioned my self to stand. I noticed that the rocks were wet. I had one foot on one rock and the other on another rock. I was holding on to a rock and had the ball in the other hand. I was stuck and didn’t have the strength to move….I just wanted to go to sleep, I was so very sleepy. I knew that if I did, I would die. I fell asleep. I know this is a dream of what my mother was going through at the time. She had gotten old and couldn’t play the game of life like she used to. Everything had to be modified for her (rolling the ball). She was getting tired and no longer had the strength to play the game of life anymore so she climbed up on her rock, Jesus, and went to sleep. She felt no pain… only peace and blessed rest. My dream continued and I was back at the ballpark in the game. They were taking a break so I told the pitcher that I was going home to get my glove. Mother woke up in heaven. She is now ready to join the game with all her equipment. She has joined the crowd of witnesses that are cheering us on. My mother was a true woman of the faith. She lived to see the kingdom of God advanced. She walked out her faith everyday. Her life was full of physical pain and suffering, but her heart was full of joy and strength. She is my number one hero and mentor. I will miss her tremendously and just pray that my life will be as affective as hers was to the kingdom.