Two days later， I had a call from my stepfather. My mother was dying. Family members were gathered for last rites. They put me on a speakerphone to hear the service.
That night， I tried my best to send a loving goodbye to Mother over the miles. The next morning， however， the telephone rang：Mother was still alive， but in a coma and expected to die any minute. But she didn' t. Not that day， or the next. Every morning， I' d get the same call： She could die any minute. But she didn' t. And every day， my pain and sadness were compounded.
After long weeks passed， it finally dawned on me： Mother was waiting for me. She had communicated that she wanted me to come back if I could. I hadn' t been able to before， but now I could. I made reservation immediately.
By 5：00 that afternoon， I was lying in her bed with my arms around her. She was still in a coma， but I whispered， "I' m here， Mother. You can let go. Thank you for waiting. You can let go." She died just a few hours later.
I think when a connection is that deep and powerful， it lives forever in a place far beyond words and is indescribably beautiful. For all the agony of my loss， I would not trade the beauty and power of that connection for anything.
因為我們所具有的非凡的默契和感知能力，我和母親之間存在著深厚的母女情結。
14年前，我住在印第安納州的埃文斯維爾市，那裏距離我的母親——我的知己、我最好的朋友有八百英裏。一天早上，沉思中的我突然覺得急需給母親打個電話，問問她身體是否還好。起初，我猶豫了。因為母親是四年級的老師，7：15打電話給她會打亂她的日常規律，使她上班遲到。但是，還是有某種力量驅使著我放下一切顧慮打給了她。我們聊了三分鍾，她向我保證自己很安全、很健康。
那天晚些時候，我的電話鈴聲響起。是母親打來的，她告訴我說，可能是我早上打給她的電話讓她逃過了一劫。如果她早三分鍾出門的話，她就很可能是州際公路上交通事故中的一名受害者。在那場事故中，數人死亡，多人受傷。