This photo of Mom, Linda Devoe, is my favorite of her. The finger, the smile, the wink truly capture her joyful spirit. What was the occasion? Her youngest daughter’s wedding, of course.
I previously shared the portrait about two weeks after she passed away on this date (August 5) in 2017. I used iPhone 7 Plus to make that digital copy of the print. Today: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. I cropped and edited the Featured Image on the smartphone, too.
Mom’s decline was sudden. Something went wrong during what should have been just another chunk of boring hours spent receiving kidney dialysis. Her body began shutting down organ after organ. Two days later, the inevitable was unavoidable.
My sister stayed with mom, and then she did something much more. Nan climbed into the hospital bed and curled up with our mother, holding her tightly. Mom’s last hours were in the embrace of a loving child. Nan literally felt the breath of life’s decline and the spirit’s surrender of the flesh. Every parent should die with such dignity and love given by a loving, although mourning, child.