The last conversation I had with my mother before her car accident was about heaven and hell. My position was that we lived our heaven and/or hell right here on earth. Mom said heaven was a whole lot nicer than anything we could imagine down here because in heaven we would come to truly know and understand God.
I hung up the phone wondering how Mom could possibly know more about God than she already does. Bob and I have often joked that if anyone deserves to wear the halo of sainthood, it is our mother. For as long as I can remember, she has shown me and everyone else around her nothing but love.
Ironically, Mom is now wearing a halo but she isn’t in heaven yet. She has been fitted with a neck brace designed to immobilize her neck by pinning a steel frame to her head. It looks like a halo but probably feels like a crown of thorns. Maybe this is just one more hurdle for Mom to jump on her way to heaven.