My mother was dying in the hospital when we called the priest for last rites. He was on her right side with everyone around. He had a foreign accent and he began giving the last rites when all of a sudden my mother opened her eyes and looked straight behind her right side at him. It scared me because I thought she thought Oh my God I am dying. Then I think she looked because of the accent, not someone she knew. She was in and out of coma and never responded to anything but the priest. Its been six weeks and it still haunts us all. I know there are several reasons she might have done this, but who knows which one is correct. I wish I could understand.

My Mom did the same thing except when she took at actual last breathe, she opened her eyes (after being in a "coma type" state for 7 days and looked straight at my Dad and he told her: "just hold on and that we would be there soon" and she died. It was actually the most beautiful thing that came out of taking her off of life support. She lived 13 hours after taking her off of life support! I remember it so vividly (sp) and it is almost 2 years since her passing...not only that but she died April 22, 2003 the day before my Dad's birthday...I would not have given that moment up for anything...to see her beautiful big brown eyes one last time and to look at my Dad, her true love of her life meant everything to him! And he has that memory forever!

Hang in there, this is the most difficult thing that I have EVER gone through in my life, she was so young (only 55) and I miss her every single day, every moment of the day, I don't miss the pain and suffering that she endured for the last 2 1/2 years of her life.

Please take care of yourself and count your self and your family blessed, so many others never get the chance to see thier loved ones eyes opened!

Take care and God bless you and your family in this time of grieving.

Becky

Spirits could have been standing near the priest or the Priests soul was peaceful, sometimes when people pass they stretch out their hands as if to hold someones hand to be led off. I am sorry about your loss. ^i^

Thank you Becky for sharing your story. My mama died the day after my dad's birthday.

Thank you Soulcatcher for your reply, that was one of the things we were all thinking about. By the way, your screen name is catchy, any meaning behind it?
thanks
susan :angel:

my mom passed away a day before my dad's birthday.....4 1/2 years ago

My mom did the same thing. I wasn't there unfortunately. She lived in Iowa and I live in southern Alabama, and I had just left, when she died only 4 days after I had gone. I think that everytime I made a trip to Iowa when they said it was "time", she hung on longer since I was there. I would get there, and expect the end to come, but then she would "perk up" and be better. I made 5 trips over 4 months doing that, until finally I told her, she had to let go and that I'd see her again.

So, the morning she passed, I was telephoned, and she had friends around her, and one of them told me she opened her eyes right before she took her last breath. I like to think she saw either my dad who had died nearly 18 years before, or someone else in our family who had gone before her. She lost her mother when her mother (my grandma) was only 54,that was in 1980, and she lost her brother in 2001 who was only 49. So maybe someone was waiting for her, and she saw them. I hope so, cuz I know that she had not yet made peace with dying. She was afraid to die. That still bothers me. It makes me sad that she was afraid of death.

Here's wishing you a good spirit.
tk

My grandma did somewhat of the same thing. She was at my aunts house we had a hospitol bed set up there and everything. My aunt is a nurse from arkansas, and we are in michigan.

Well my aunt was at my grandmas side when she took her last breath, she opened her eyes looked at the picture of the virgin mother mary on the wall and then looked to my aunt and winked at her...and that was it...

seems amazing that some of us have a "unique" way of saying goodbye...

My mother was dying in the hospital when we called the priest for last rites. He was on her right side with everyone around. He had a foreign accent and he began giving the last rites when all of a sudden my mother opened her eyes and looked straight behind her right side at him. It scared me because I thought she thought Oh my God I am dying. Then I think she looked because of the accent, not someone she knew. She was in and out of coma and never responded to anything but the priest. Its been six weeks and it still haunts us all. I know there are several reasons she might have done this, but who knows which one is correct. I wish I could understand.

Maybe she was looking at an angel or other family members or friends that have past away.......taking her home. What a comforting thought.

And there was that wonderful story of Ronald Reagan opening his eyes with bright clarity after years of Alzheimers and looking directly into his wife Nancy's eyes right before he died.
Still makes me tear up.
:angel: