“I Told Y’all I Was Sick”

The sun came up today. Flowers bloomed. It drizzled a little. Just another day… except it isn’t. Today marks 2 weeks since my Mom died. The logic side knows those words are true, but I’m still waiting for it to actually seem real. It isn’t yet. I don’t know if that is a healthy response or not. But as a friend told me, there are no rules.

3 weeks ago Dad walked into the room where Aunt Mal and I were sitting and she asked “What do you need?”. He succinctly replied “About 10 more years.” 10 years still wouldn’t be enough. That is why God created us to live forever! (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

I’ve come to realization that Mom really was my best friend! Sorry Rach, you still retain BFF status, but let me explain… Your best friend is the absolute first person that pops into your brain whenever you have news to share; the good, the bad, the ugly. Sad, mad or funny. THAT person is YOUR person. It took Mom dying for me to realize she was MY person. She always has been! A bible student came to her 1st convention and took amazing notes. On multiple occasions, I wanted to take a photo of her notes to send to Mom but had to tell myself “you idiot, you can’t.” She always asked about my friend’s lives and I told her all the funny stuff that happened and whether she “got” it or not, she laughed a laugh only Luci could produce – genuine and from her happy soul!

Where we were in the timeline of her life rang clear when I came to the realization that I had already heard that one-of-a-kind laugh for the last time. Sadly, I noticed it was gone before I could record it in my mind. The other thing I lost in my memory was the way she would squeeze my hand twice at the end of a prayer. In the few days before she died she was very restless. I asked if she wanted me to pray with her – something I can’t ever remember doing in my adult life and wish I’d done more!- she said yes. We prayed together, briefly. She said “amen”. I held her hand a bit longer waiting for the “squeeze squeeze”… it never came. Whether it was the meds or the disease, my Mom was drifting away.

I hope the last sound the Devil hears before Jehovah ends his miserable existence for good is a signature Luci Laugh! The disease that is a result of his selfish ambition is the thing that stole my Mom’s laugh, her light and her life!

She never lost her zeal for Jehovah or the ministry! Even the day before her swift decline she requested invitations to our annual Regional Convention so she could share them with her healthcare workers and friends that came by. As long as she could read, she read her bible every day. When her sight failed, she listened to the bible reading. When her energy waned so much she couldn’t stay awake for one chapter but she could still speak she asked for the text to be read to her. I want to be like her when I grow up!

July 12, she stopped me on my way out of the room and said “I love you. … Bunches and bunches and bunches.” I will forever cherish that some of the last words she spoke to me were those iconic three!

Down to the last hours of her life Mom’s personality still glimmered a bit. That’s how we want her remembered until we meet again so here goes…

Rightly so, Dad was most in-tune with the progression of the illness and a few weeks prior to her death he sent out a mass request for text messages to be sent to Mom, first from friends attending their Regional Convention that weekend, later expanding it too anyone he thought might join the fun and asked that they spread the word even to folks she didn’t know. In two days she had received over 150 messages, many from people she’d never met, wishing her well and sharing experiences or photos! She. Was. Baffled. He asked me to also share the request with my friends. I walked in later that day and she mentioned the flood of messages and her confusion. She asked if I had anything to do with it and I just shrugged. Dad actually played it off quite well, NOT his strong suit, pure of heart being that he is! She said she was overwhelmed so I volunteered that I could call off the dogs. And she said “well… I mean… it is pretty cool… I guess.” She repeated the same sentiments later in the day when we offered to ask the friends to pull back. Thank you all! It was a massive display of the lovely, small world we are privileged to be a part of as Jehovah’s Witnesses! She received messages from all over the nation and some from outside the states!

Speaking of this beautiful, worldwide family; it is thanks to that family that Mom was able to fulfill every. single. item. on her bucket list, with the exception of a cross-country train trip. Maybe in paradise she’ll get to do a round the world trip, with stops along the way to visit the hundreds of people whose lives she had some small impact on during her short time on this earth!

Mom had gotten into a habit of calling Dad “The Best” (and gosh, was the title appropriate as I watched him caring for her so tenderly) and one day Dad asked “Is Beth a good girl?” Mom vigorously responded “The Best!”. Dad, having become quite fond of his new role, objected “Nuh Uh!”. Mom quickly clarified “There can be a best girl!”… Not to exclude Ben, she later offered further explanation: Best Man, Best Boy, Best Girl. 🙂

I’ve made no attempts to throw our family’s love of food into the shadows. This was one past-time Mom most loathed to lose. Fortunately she continued to enjoy her favorites until just days before her death. In fact, her last “real” meal was a family standard and shared only with Dad that night. Yogurt, pita and olives. I think that’s pretty appropriate.

Until the very end, she did retain much of her humor and wit-which Dad says he rarely saw… because he talked so much it didn’t offer much opportunity for hers to become visible. We had family over and she’d had a mostly restless day and was exhausted so she asked “Isn’t it time for them to go? I don’t want to poop on the party.” I told her I’d go poop on the party. She said “do it nice”. DOFL

Another unfortunate requirement as time wound down was the need for a catheter since she could no longer hold her own weight enough to scoot to the potty. The night after she got the catheter she and Dad were lying in their respective beds (his turned so he could face her and fulfill her demand to hold his hand all night) and she quietly said “this is wonderful!” Dad, as he does, had to ask what… She calmly responded “I can lay here and sleep and sleep and sleep and never have to get up to pee!” DOFL

The next day Uncle Alan asked how the catheter was. She, again, said “wonderful!” He said “like Ruprect?” and Mom did this: 

Last, but not least, we have been looking through old photos and Aunt Joon came across a photo of an early-twenties Luci and Dad… well, you know that dance only Dana can do – *Clap, “Whooo!”, Knee-up “Whooo!”* while declaring “That’s my girlfriend!” ♥ ♥ ♥

The night before she died, Dad asked “Do you love me?”. She weakly responded in the affirmative. Later, after hours of sleeplessness and anxiety and asking to be woken up Dad’s last soothing words to her were “it’s okay to sleep. The next voice you hear will be Jesus calling your name.” (John 5:28) She calmed almost instantly and less than two hours later she was sleeping peacefully in the safest place – Jehovah’s memory.

If you have been following this journey you know that Mom vacillated between telling us “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with me!”, “I’m worse off than __________ *insert currently sick person’s name*” and “I told y’all I was sick!” Despite her many, many life accomplishments and the incredible memories she will leave with hundreds (if not thousands) we opted to not post an obituary… maybe it’s more that we couldn’t find the words and less that we couldn’t find the time. If we had written an obituary, Dad wanted it to read:

Amelia Lucille Price, 65
“I told y’all I was sick” – Luci

 

Please join us in remembering the good times had and the good times to come at Luci’s memorial service to be held on August 4th at 3:00 pm at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Greenwood, SC (link to address below).

https://goo.gl/maps/1ZU9JwMFYB12

If you would like more information that has helped us so far in the grieving process and gives us hope for the future, please feel free to comment and we’ll email you a link to a beautifully written article on dealing with grief.