“Here”, she said, her wrinkled hands clung to her greatest treasure on Earth. 

Her daughter held out her hand. Her mother was everything to her. Her best friend. She begged that this day would never come. Yet, here she sat. 

She hated everything about this chair. It was old. She hated the color, and the material. Robin’s egg blue. 

“When was that ever trendy?” She wondered. 

She hated the designer, the molder of the wood. She hated all the people that sat in it before her. She could see the oils from their hands permanently imprinted on the carefully sculpted wood on it’s arms.  Time and their own goodbyes made the hated chair creak and shake annoyingly while her nervous feet jumped up and down. 

She hated everything at that moment. She hated time. She hated the seconds that kept ticking so loudly from the chastising clock. Time, there was never enough. Never enough time to say what she wanted. Never enough time with those she loved. 

Her hand shook as she took her mothers frail and feeble hand. She held it gently. She could feel her soft skin in hers, the memories, the love and blood they shared. She was so loved and loved so greatly in return. She felt like she wanted to stop breathing, to be in the same state as her mom. 

“Why?” She screamed in her head.

Her mom’s rasping breath, shook her from her state of hate.

“Dear? listen close.” She whispered. “This gift I have for you is the only treasure I have to give. It is gold.”

She dropped a key into her hand. It was her dad’s key, she remembered him holding it often. She stared at it. Memories flooded her mind. It was too much to bear. Could she survive even this?

She continued, “Love, gold is heavenly. It is not of this world. The value of this key far exceeds anything you can find on earth. It is for you. This key is designed exactly for you.”

“What do you mean mom? I don’t understand. This key is dads. It’s huge and I don’t even know what it opens. It’s not for me.”

“Darling, listen close. Gold, why is it of value? Why do all nations, peoples, cultures, religions, all under heaven desire it and give it value? The greatest value on earth, the greatest investment you can make? It is a universal decision, a choice. It is abundant, and special. It cannot be produced or replicated. It is authentic. It doesn’t corrode or lose it’s luster. Humans are emotionally drawn to it, they search for it with fever. We all desire it.”

“Why are you telling me this, mom? It seems trivial compared to what we are dealing with right now. I am confused. I am going to be all alone. I have no one, you and dad will both be gone. I am left with nothing. Nothing but this key. What is it worth, a couple hundred bucks? Now you are telling me about heavenly rock?” She felt irritated by the topic.

“My daughter, this gold I speak of, yes, it is heavenly. The treasure I speak of, you cannot hold, but the key you have will unlock your questions. My gold was given to me by your father, he showed me the value of this treasure and I need to you have it too. Where I am going, I will see your dad, but you cannot go. I need you to join us, but you have to receive the key to unlock it’s treasures.”  She smiled at her daughter lovingly.

“Mom, are you talking about Jesus again?” She scowled. 

“You know I don’t want to talk about this. I don’t understand why you even talk about him yourself. You know I have asked you not to discuss this with me. I can’t after what he did to dad. He hates us mom, if he is even real. I don’t get it. Why can’t you respect my choice?” She furrowed her brown in frustration.

She slumped back into the hated blue chair, and in doing so, let go of her mom’s hand and the key dropped to the floor.

She closed her eyes for a second and the days and nights of sleeplessness caught up to her. She unintentionally drifted to sleep in a restless and uncomfortable position in her hated blue chair.

When she awoke, her neck was throbbing in pain. She looked at the still, beautiful face of her mom and knew she had missed her. She was gone, gentle peace rested on her expression. She was smiling.

“NO!” she screamed! “NO, NO, NO! You can’t be gone, mom, I was listening. I want to hear what you had to say. You can’t leave yet, I didn’t get to say goodbye, I love you mom.”  

“Don’t go…” she whispered.

She stood up and held her moms hands in her own, they were different, unlike before, so warm and gentle, she felt nothing. She quickly let go and turned to leave the room, tears pouring down her face.

Suddenly, through her fitful tears and clenched fists, she remembered the key. She looked under the bed and there it was. It could have been her imagination, but it appeared to be glowing. Sniffing back tears, she reached for it and picked it up. Her hands felt weak under it’s weight. 

“Was it that heavy before?” She wondered, “How could mom hold this, she was so weak?”

Nurses and doctors rushed into the room in that same second. Alarms and beeping alerted the night-shift staff. They confirmed the obvious, she was gone. Heart-felt words of comfort were uttered by the bustling people in the room, but she could not remember their faces or their words. Blinded by her tears, she left, even forgetting her jacket on that hateful chair. She walked down the florescent lighted hallway into the darkness of the night.

---

Psalm 19:

7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
    refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
⁸ The precepts of the Lord are right,
    giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
    giving light to the eyes.
⁹ The fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous.

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
    than honey from the honeycomb.
¹¹ By them your servant is warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.
¹² But who can discern their own errors?
    Forgive my hidden faults.
¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins;
    may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
    innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴ May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
    be pleasing in your sight,
    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.