Just a Swingin' - A visit from Mom and Answered Prayer

It was my mom's birthday recently on March 10. She would have been 92 years old if she were still alive. It was a tough day because I was under the weather and had been since my own birthday on December 29, and much worse than that, my first cousin, Ricky Huff, was in the hospital literally fighting for his life. Sadly, he lost the battle sometime in the afternoon.

That same night at bedtime, I realized I hadn't had the time or energy to ponder Mom's big day. I did some talking to God; it went something like this: "Lord, it's been a long, hard day. It's Mom's birthday and I haven't even had a moment to honor her memory. I miss her so much. Could you possibly send me some sort of sign to let me know that she is well and hasn't forgotten about me?"

With that being said, I turned out the lights and proceeded to try and get some much needed shut-eye. I'm not the greatest sleeper, but that night I actually did pretty well.

The next morning, as I was awakening and contemplating getting out of bed, I heard something that I had not heard since my mother was alive - the sound of the back porch swing moving back and forth. My bedroom was right over that location, and it was always easy to hear that squeaky swing when Mom swayed back and forth in it, always harboring a blissful state just to be there. One of her favorite things to do was swing in the early morning hours, sipping on her cup of coffee and sometimes talking on the phone to a friend or two who might also be up at that time (usually anywhere from 6 to 7:30 a.m.). In fact, I was brought out of good sleep sessions on more than one occasion due to the creaking noise of that old piece of outdoor furniture.

I gasped and whispered out loud, "The swing!"

If it had been any other time, I might have panicked for a moment . . . thinking that someone had broken in to my backyard by climbing over the fence in order to get to the porch where the swing was. But instead, I immediately thought of the prayer I had said the night before, and a great feeling of comfort came over me.

Did I really think that it was Mom who had come to visit me? I for sure thought it was possible. I do believe in spirits, and I have always thought that both of my parents had transitioned into becoming my guardian angels as soon as they crossed over to the other side. I also pondered that maybe the good Lord had sent a gust of wind which caused the swing to move in order to let me know that Mom was doing well in his care and definitely had not forgotten about me. Whatever the case, I still chose to believe that God sent Mom in spirit to console me that morning. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I had been given something wonderful . . . something better than a sign - a visit from Mom and answered prayer.

"Thanks, Mom . . . Thanks, God! I really appreciate it! Come back again sometime!"

Mom doing one of her favorite early morning activities when she was alive - talking on the phone.