Nothing is Impossible
How God Was Revealed During the Loss of My Mother
My sister and I lost our beloved, adorable, joyful Mother. She was everything to each of us – our best friend, confidant, adviser, and, of course, our Mommy. You could talk to her about anything and everything – from business and politics, to the stock market, to boyfriends when we were younger and marriage when we were older, to academics, to life and love, to just everything.
She was intelligence and wisdom mixed with charm and a delightful personality that drew people to her – from her fellow workers who would surround her desk in her early working days, to the waiters at her favorite New York restaurant who would line up to give her a kiss when we walked in during her later years. She was peppy, full of life and a mean dancer. She was a little bit of a thing, no more than 4’11”, but she was a giant. She endured some five serious abdominal surgeries in her lifetime, but never spoke a word about them once they were over and done with.
And I never saw her frown. She would come out of her bedroom in the morning, fresh faced and with a smile on it. She was ageless. In her Eighties she still looked youthful. I used to say to her, “Mother, you have no age at all.” Above all, she lived for her daughters and we became the secure and confident women we are due to her love, devotion and guidance.
Her funeral mass was at St. Ignatius Loyola Church here in New York. In preparing for the mass, that is, deciding on the readings and who would give the eulogy, and choosing the special music, we had a special request of the Pastor. We chose two hymns –The Seaman’s Hymn and Ave Maria. But we wanted a third selection — “It’s Impossible.” My Mother was an incurable romantic and loved to hear Perry Como singing that song. The Seaman’s Hymn and Ave Maria were OK’d. “It’s Impossible” was not.
Later, the cortege moved out of the city and north to Westchester County and the Gate of Heaven Cemetery where she was to be interred and where she would join my Father and all of her brothers and sisters who had preceded her and who were there as well. Since we were already in Westchester, rather than returning to New York City, we decided on lunching at a restaurant nearby with our family members and friends who accompanied us, along with out family priest.
We settled into our seats at a large table in a sunny corner of the restaurant and as we did so, the most extraordinary thing happened. The melodic sounds of “It’s Impossible” filled the room! It played over and over again. Now, nobody knew we are coming to that particular restaurant. It was chosen at random, so it wasn’t a question of anyone alerting the proprietor. And besides, no one other than my sister and I knew how much she enjoyed Perry Como’s singing of that song.
She was there with us and God was Revealed.
That was a number of years ago now. I believe, indeed, I know that with God NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.
Comments from the Original Post
rachel 8.26.12
BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!! i myself, believe!
shirley sonnefield 8.24.12
What a beautiful story. It’s true,with God nothing is impossible
Daniel Hale 8.24.12
God works in many awe inspiring ways. Thank you for sharing that, God bless you and your family. 🙂
Faye Chapman 8.24.12
I lost my beautiful, Christian Mother September,2010. She was an inspiration to my four sisters and one brother; to the whole families that preceded from our children and children’s children. She lived to be 99 years old.I know that God let her live because she was so good.
thelma townsend 8.22.12
GOD WORKS IN STRANGE WAYS.. YOU GOT YOUR SONG AFTER ALL.. GOD BLESS.
mary michael 8.21.12
I found my father passed away in his bed after my mother had left to go work out at the gym.I lived behind my parents and every morning my dad had the coffee ready and we drank a cup of coffee together. That morning he wasn,t up,my mom said he was sleeping late which was so not like him. I went and made the coffee,then went to wake him up and he had passed during the night. I was having a very hard time dealing with everything, like planning funeral and the many other things you have to do.The day of the visitation came and that morning a bunch of us was sitting on the front porch talking when the postman came and gave me the mail. IN it was a letter from the captin of the boat at the beach,where my dad had went fishing the weekend before. He loved to fish! In the letter the captin had sent my dad a picture he had taken of my dad holdin a big fish that weighed about forty pounds. To see my dad smiling and holding that fish was lik he was telling me,I`m in heaven doing what I love to do.fishing and its great up here. So I know that god is real and my dads with him.
Karen Furr 8.21.12
When I first started reading and saw the beautiful pic of your mother, I began smiling. For some reason I just knew this was going to be heaven sent. Thank you for sharing and I do truly believe your mother was there. God Bless you and your sister. And I thank God I was fortunate enough to get to read your story. Thankyou.
Betty A. Wegner 8.21.12
My mother always loved Cardinal’s she had pictures, statues and any thing with a Cardinal on it. My mom passed 2 days after Christmas in 2004. She wanted to be buried next to her mother and sisters in Warsaw, Kentucky. The hearse took my mom’s body. My father and sister drove together and I rode with my brothers and sister in laws. When we went over the Ohio River bridge we took the wrong turn. We drove and saw a sign. We were in Sparta Kentucky, that is where our mother was born, as we were leaving town we heard flapping of wings…(remember it was winter so our windows were up.) We looked up and saw hundreds of Red Cardinals flying in the sky going over us. A coincidence I don’t think so I believe my mom had taken us past her birth town and let us know she was with us…..Betty Wegner
Helen Stucky Risdon 8.19.12
I have had many similar experiences since my Father beamed up on September 21, 2011, World Peace Day. I saw him climb Jacob’s Ladder in his lifetime and that significantly cut down my learning curve. That also happened with three significant women in my life…his Mother, a Step-Mother, and another “adopted Mother”. They apparently also melded with their connection to God’s love and light and LIFE.
Margie 8.18.12
This was such a touching story.Your mom was an amazing woman.God Bless you ,your sister and family.It is so true nothing is impossible for our God.
frank j gomba 8.14.12
thanks for sharing a beautiful story
frank j gomba 8.14.12
and now she is enjoying heaven
frank j gomba 8.14.12
a great story; your mom was an agel on earth and ow is enjoyinh heaven
Barbara McKinney 8.14.12
Thank you for sharing your beautiful story. How blessed you & your sister were to have such a beautiful, loving mother. I can tell that you’ve become a sweet christian woman because of her great example. God bless you.