This is a story about the call we all hate to receive. Yet, you can see the Lord's hand in it every step of
the way. This is a story that will show you how active Satan is when it comes to illness' and tragedies that strike from time
to time; and it will show you that no evilness can stand up against the name of Jesus. Mother We Love You
Sitting in my office, I noticed a little humming bird dancing about the window as if it were trying to get my attention.
When I said, "I see you there," it flew away. Right then I knew I was going to hear bad news. Mother had always told me that
birds bring news whether it was good or bad. When I asked her why, she'd say, "So you won't be shocked honey. The birds are
like little messengers from God protecting you from news that could overwhelm you, this way you already know to expect the
unexpected. So I knew it wouldn't be long before we heard someone was in trouble.
Since my graveyard shift as night audit was over, I told my husband, "I'm going to go take a shower and go to bed." He
said, "Okay, I will try not to bother you." So I grabbed something to eat, then showered and crawled into bed. As I lay there
wondering about the news we would hear about that day; a thick, dark dreary cloud lingered above me. Its as if the cloud was
drifting down towards me, as if to smother me and I begin to pray.
No sooner had I finished my prayer and tried to sleep, my husband came in and said, "Honey, I'm sorry to bother you, but
Rowdy just called. Mom had a heart attack and died at the scene a few times before getting to the hospital." "Is she dead?"
I ask. "No, she was resuscitated several times and is now in intensive care, not expected to live throughout the day. I wanted
to jump up and go to my Mother right then, but being managers of the motel meant we or should I say my husband would have
to call the Corporate Office to get relief managers in and it was unknown to us how far they would have to travel to get to
El Centro, California. So the wait began.
It took the relief team the biggest part of the day to get to us from Northern California and then, it took time turning
the motel over to the new team. So we got a late start that night.
The drive would take us ten to twelve hours if we could make it then. After driving for a long time we neared San Bernardino,
California, and I said, "Honey, we have a motel in San Bernardino don't we? And he said "Yes, why?" "Well we are both tired
and it won't do anyone any good if we get ourselves killed or suffer from all of the exhaustion, besides the drunks are on
the highway now and I was just thinking we would be better off to stop for the night." So we agreed to stop for the night
and rest for a spell because we knew we had a long road to haul if we were going to spend time at the hospital for very long.
Before going to bed I called the hospital like I had every time we had stopped for gas. The nurse told me, "Your Mother,
will be gone before you get here anyway, get some rest tonight and come on in, in the morning."
The following morning we showered and took the few things we had in the room out to our old pickup and had some breakfast
before heading out across the mountains.
Just knowing Mother was still alive brought a little peace into our hearts. We rode along in silence caught up in our own
thoughts. Out towards Pear Blossom, California I heard "Your Mother is going to be okay. Others will want you to do go against
these words, but do not heed to their requests. Your Mother is not going to die! So tell your husband to slow down and let
it be known your old truck will be as if it were brand new." I couldn't believe what I was hearing so I questioned the things
I had just heard, not once but a couple of times. Now I do not believe in talking to the dead period! But in order to convince
me it was the Lord telling me Mother was going to be okay, the Holy Spirit used my Dads voice. I heard, "Sis, Have I ever
lied to you?" I said, "No Dad." He then went on to say, "Mom is going to be okay. She is hitting a lot of opposition right
now, but she is not going to die. No matter what anyone tries to convince you of, and they will, do not agree to anything
they say." After this without a doubt in my mind, I knew Mother was going to be just fine because my Dad had never ever told
me a lie.
My husband who was not only concerned about Mom and our son's, one who was with her, and the other one who was spending
time in the county jail, but the truck. It had four very bald tires on it; a bad front end and it used oil like water coming
out of a faucet. The transmission slipped something awful, and this was just a few little things wrong with the truck, so
he had reason for concern.
We prayed up every hill and any long grade we had to get up. We ask the Lord to send the angels to push up the hills, we
ask for the angels to be our breaks since they were mush, and we had ask him to keep his hands on our truck from the start.
So when I broke out into laughter, my husband thought I had lost it totally."
"Slow down!" I was saying, "Mother's going to be just fine and this truck is going to run as if it were brand new and the
first place we come to, we have to stop and eat, I'm starving." "Are you sure your okay," he asked. "Now where did you get
a notion that Mom was going to be okay?" The Lord just told me, thats where!" Just think we don't have to worry about the
old tires or anything anymore, because the Lord is making them all new for us." Still Danny was becoming very concerned about
my laughter and kiddish ways right then, and I'm sure he doubted the words I kept repeating.
When we arrived in Mojave, California, I called the hospital again and spoke to the nurse caring for Mother that day and
got something to eat. The nurse told me, "Take your time honey, she won't be here when you arrive. I don't know how she has
lasted this long. So take your time."
The next part of our journey was the Tehachapi Mountains, and Praise the Lord we flew across the pass in our brand new
truck. In no time at all we were in Bakersfield, then Pixley where I called again to tell the nurse we would be there in a
few more minutes. Once again her reply was, "Take your time, your mother will be gone before you get here. Only this time
she added, if she is still here, then a decision must be made about life support." I almost had a spasm, thinking they wanted
my Mother dead, and that just couldn't be! I knew the Lord was already in control of the situation leaving me with little
concern for such things right now, so I returned to my jokes and laughter and husband who were still full of doubt.
Finally we pulled in to Kaweah Delta's parking lot and went straight to the intensive care unit's patio where we knew our
family would be. A call was placed to the back unit and a nurse said she'd be right out to talk to us. Within a few minutes
two nurses came out to talk to Danny and me. The nurse told us once again, mother wasn't going to live much longer. And we
needed to discuss taking her off of life support, I became angry and told her "No," my Mother was going to be just fine and
that she wasn't going to die, so they could quit saying that. The nurses and our family thought I was in denial and everyone
tried to convince me how bad Mother was but I knew differently, things simply wasn't what it seemed to be. And I simply didn't
care what they had to say concerning Mothers welfare; because I knew she was going to be just fine.
The nurses walked Danny and me back to Mothers room, where the doctor and two other nurses were waiting for us. Once again,
the doctor told us of the severity of Mothers condition. He went on to say the same things the nurses had said all night and
all day, and I didn't want to hear it anymore and pushed past them all to be at Mothers side.
A short time later a code blue was called for Mother, and as the monitor flat lined, I screamed at my Mother telling her
to go ahead and walk them golden stairs
because heaven wasn't ready for her yet. I remember telling her go ahead, walk them golden stairs but all your doing is
making yourself tired, its not your time to die, and Praise God within seconds her heart returned to a normal heart rhythm
and all of her vital signs returned to normal.
The doctor told us, "I don't know what just happened here, but it seems as if she is going to make it. If she remains this
stable in two hours we will remove her breathing apparatus, but leave her on the respirator in case she should take a turn
for the worse during the night and we agreed to this. But before leaving the Intensive Care Unit, we ask the doctor and staff
to promise us not to tell any other family member what had just taken place yet and they agreed.
As we returned to the family on the patio, the first question was, when are you having her disconnected from life support?
I/we said, "We're not! She is going to live." We found ourselves caught up in family disputes over this, some people had gone
behind our backs and signed papers to have Mother removed from life support the following morning at ten a.m., some had already
went to Mother's home taking the things they wanted and the list goes on and on.
That night Danny and I told our oldest son and Jessie a sister n law that helped with C.P.R. in the beginning what we knew
about Mom's present condition and they to were overjoyed. The staff in the unit allowed Jessie and me to spend as much time
as we wanted with Mother that night. We painted her finger nails, did her hair and just had a great time with Mother that
night even though she couldn't talk right then, her eyes spoke of the love she held in her heart for all of us.
The following morning after returning from the motel we were staying in, we met those that held Mothers power of attorney
with great authority now held in their hands. They were now giving Danny, our son and me the right to say good bye to Mother
one last time before they had her taken off of life support because they needed to get home and they had the things they needed
from the safe and anything else they called their own.
Now it was time to tell those greedy vultures the truth. Rowdy and I hit those double doors, laughing and screaming Shes
alive, shes alive, and you couldnt kill her! much like those knowing Jesus was alive after his dying on the cross for us.
Needless to say, this ordeal separated our family forever, but our Jesus walked right in and put the devil and his workers
in their place, as he rose to victory over darkness and death one more time allowing another miracle to take place in our
lives.
Isaiah 53:4 and 5 says, "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten
of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our
peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
So friends don't ever stop believing that Jesus is our greatest Physician today because there is nothing he can't or won't
heal if only you will believe in him.
John 14:14
If ye, shall ask anything in my name I will do it.
We would like to thank the Tulare County Fire Department stationed on Lovers Lane and all the firemen for the excellent
care they gave to Erma J. Boswell that day as they worked so faithfully to save her life.
And we would like to thank Kaweah Delta District Hospital in Visalia, California, for their wonderful staff, even though
many are unbelievers, they have to know God works miracles there and I must add, its one of the best in the United States.
And to those who were quick with greed and to give up on human life, we all want you to know we forgive you even though
we are no longer together, for little did you know, that Jesus had walked in on the scene to destroy your ploys.
In Loving Memory Of My Mother,
Erma Juanita Boswell
Who past away seven year's later?
The actual events here happened
July 1991
Author
Erma L. Sossman
aka
Little Spider
