23
Then I heard something.
“Stay!”
A strong voice that cut through
all of it: my humiliation, the music,
Mom’s singing. I stopped, startled.
What on earth was that? I won -
dered. The command had come with
such force, I looked around for the
source. But the voice had come from
within—yet it was separate from
me. How could that be? I fumbled
for my coat and got ready to stand
up and walk out.
“Don’t move!” the mysterious
voice ordered me, more adamantly
than before. This time, I knew it
was real. And that I had to listen. I
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remainder of the show, trying my
best to quiet Mom down. When the
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tain calls, I gathered up Mom’s coat
to leave. Head down, I made my
way with her to the lobby. I didn’t
want to catch the eye of any angry
audience members.
The performers were waiting to
greet members of the audience.
A bunch of little girls were lined up
to get a picture with Belle. Mom
stopped short.
“Kar,” Mom asked shyly. “Could I
get a picture?”
I blinked in surprise. “Sure,” I said.
I snapped a picture of Mom stand-
ing with Belle. Suddenly I saw a
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joy would be, it was pure and true.
These were the moments I must
hold fast to. The glimpse God had
granted me.
I’ll forever be grateful for the sign
that sent us to that show, and the
inexplicable voice that kept me from
leaving it. Because the very next
morning, Mom had a stroke. A few
months later, she passed away.
Someone had given Mom one last
night of happiness. And a beautiful
memory for me to hold on to after
she was gone.Inspiring Bible verses for dementia caregivers can be found at Guideposts.org/BestVerses