Growing up, my mom wouldn’t allow us to say the “d-word” in her presence. Since as far back as I could remember, “death” was swapped out for “passed away,” or “gone to live with the Lord” whenever we referenced someone who died. I never quite understood why words mattered so much until I was at a loss for them whenever I tried to make sense of what happened on December 3, 2018.
Last year, a few hours after I returned my mom’s text about what I’d eaten that day, I got a phone call from my younger sister. Her voice was so little. “Mama’s not breathing.”
An hour later, she was pronounced…passed away? Living with the Lord?
The doctor mechanically rattled off all he tried to do to save her from a heart attack while Jingle Bells annoyingly played in the background.
It’s been over a year since she… “passed” and the world is again preparing itself for