I’m still a bit numb following the loss of my mother this week, and recording this podcast was indeed very good for my soul; especially nice was my 15-minute interview (included in the podcast) with Mom’s lively brother, Doug.
You can listen to the podcast on this website, or directly at soundcloud, iTunes, GooglePlay, or Spotify. Just search, Hidden Headlines Brian Sussman Podcast.
This photo of Mom is from her high school yearbook.
Thanks for you massive outpouring of love and support.
On Tuesday, June 18, 2019, my dear mother, Beverly Ann (Carlson) Ford, peacefully slipped away into eternity at the age of 88. Mom was born February 1, 1931 in the small farming community of Menahga, Minnesota to Nels and Hilma Carlson. Following graduation from Menahga High School (class of ’48), she left for Minneapolis to attend nursing school where she became a Registered Nurse. Shortly thereafter, she left for Los Angeles, California where she quickly found a job as an RN.
In 1954, she married a Los Angeles businessman, Alan Sussman. They raised two sons, Bradley and me. We briefly moved to Golden Colorado, and eventually to Northbrook, Illinois where she was both a homemaker and part-time nurse.
Ten years after the death of Dad (1991), Mom married Marvin Ford, a retired businessman from Wisconsin. They relocated to Mundelein, Illinois and enthusiastically began to travel the world. In their exciting seventeen years together they visited almost every continent and major city on the planet. In addition to their international adventures, they regularly enjoyed visits to see her family in Minnesota, Brad, me and her 10 grandchildren and four great grandchildren in Ohio and California. Mom was passionate about exercising, watching sports, entertaining in her home, cooking delightful meals, and spending quality time with friends.
She was preceded in death by her father, mother, first husband, and my twin sisters, Dawn and Jennifer, who died as infants. She is survived by her husband Marvin, brother Douglas, grandchildren, cousins, nieces, and nephews, all of whom she loved dearly.
A Celebration of Life is being planned for September in Minnesota.
In lieu of flowers, donations to her favorite charities, the Northern Illinois Food Bank and the Salvation Army, are highly encouraged.
My mother has always been a great dresser. It’s probably because she grew up near poverty on a farm in Minnesota. Upon high school graduation she decided to hit the “big city” of Minneapolis and become a registered nurse. Once she completed her training she made the move to really get radical and took off for Los Angeles. There she met a flashy young guy who had just served in the Korean War, owned a deli/liquor store, and drove a nice car. It turned out to be true love. Mom and Dad were soon wed and I was born several years later.
Even though people may be very rich, they don’t live on and on…They die…
Psalm 49:12.
As you may have heard, I’m in Chicago as my mother’s life winds down. It’s naturally causing me to go deep in thought, so I appreciate your curiosity to peek into my feelings just now.
I’ll begin with a storyline I’ve seen somewhere before; perhaps it was an old episode of The Twilight Zone:
A random man or woman opens a newspaper and recognizes the date on the front page is reporting events three months into the future.
The person reads through the news and discovers descriptions of events that have not yet taken place. The sports section reveals the scores of games not yet played. The financial page touts winners and losers in the stock and bond markets.
This person suddenly realizes such information could make them exceedingly wealthy. A few large bets on underdog teams, some money invested on Wall Street.
Wow!
Soon the profits are pouring in. Out of curiosity this newly minted risk taker returns to the newspaper to see if there’s anything else that could garner further profit. The pages are turned and examined. The Obituary section appears.
In an instant exuberance turns to abject dismay. The person sees their own photograph and life story. Death is imminent.
It’s amazing how the knowledge of death instantly erases the joy of great wealth, or fame, or pleasure, or whatever.
But while acknowledging death may give perspective, it doesn’t provide comfort. Bad people die. Good people die. The atheist dies, and so does the genuine follower of God. But what about comfort in knowing what really lies ahead?
Above I presented a portion of Psalm 49. Here’s a bit more:
Even though people may be very rich, they don’t live on and on.
They are like the animals. They die.
That’s what happens to those who trust in themselves.
It also happens to their followers, who agree with what they say.
They are like sheep and will end up in the grave.
Death will be their shepherd…
The bodies of sinners will waste away in the grave.
They will end up far away from their princely houses.
But God will save me from the place of the dead.
He will certainly take me to himself.
It’s interesting that the psalmist declares death will be the shepherd of those who trust in themselves, rather than the Lord, because in Psalm 23, Israel’s great King David tells us:
The Lord is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need.
He lets me lie down in fields of green grass.
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He gives me new strength.
He guides me in the right paths for the honor of his name.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid.
You are with me.
In life, and in death, everyone has a shepherd. The question is, who is yours?
In the case of my dad, during his entire life he was his own shepherd. He marched to his own drummer. And then, finally about three weeks before he died he confessed that everything he thought was important, business deals, investments, possessions, were crap. “What was most important was right in front of me–the family.”
Shortly before his death Dad finally yielded to his Heavenly Shepherd.
Likewise, Mom too, has confessed her belief in The Shepherd.
Cutting to the chase, the New Testament says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved,” (Romans 10:9).
What is significant about believing that Jesus rose from the dead is that you are acknowledging He is the victor over death and darkness. The promise for believing this is, what happened to Him will happen to you.
To have faith in the God of resurrection is to believe that when you die, out of the darkness of the night you will go to the light of morning. It is to realize that God has paid the ransom for your soul, and He will take you home to be with Himself.
Understanding that changes everything. For the believer in Jesus–the righteous person–there is no death into darkness. Instead, there is the light of God.
Wow.
I’ll keep you posted on further revelations.
I’m in Chicago visiting my mother after purchasing a one-way ticket from my home in California.
I was just here two weeks ago.
I rushed out then for a visit because Mom, for some unknown reason, asked me to. It was obvious to me that she hadn’t been feeling 100 percent when I visited her back in February, and from subsequent phone conversations it seemed she was strangely declining. Indeed, the visit two weeks ago confirmed my suspicions: she was not well at all. In fact I was so taken-a-back and concerned that, at my urging, we I visited several independent/assisted care living facilities. However, both my brother (who drove in from Cleveland) and I couldn’t put a finger on what was physically wrong with Mom, and she wasn’t talking.
Then, 10-days after that visit, she took a major fall and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance where she received 8 staples in the back of her head.
It was in the emergency room the physicians realized something was amiss: her vitals were off. Way off.
Through subsequent tests they discovered Mom had advanced liver and kidney cancer for which, at her age, there is no cure. We knew she had a recent bout with bladder cancer, but that appeared to be under control. This new diagnosis was sobering.
It made us wonder why she hadn’t complained to her doctor about her issues, especially given the fact she is a Registered Nurse? All I do know is this 87-year-old dynamo was powering through the debilitating symptoms of a deadly disease–and never once complained.
I arrived to see Mom lying is a hospital bed, asleep, and not looking anything like she did two weeks prior, let alone her appearance back in February.
The doctors say we’re talking days or, at most, weeks.
Early this morning, during a particularly lucid moment, I shared with her the sad news. But I also shared the good news, that there is a Savior in Heaven who has a place prepared for her. She smiled, nodded her head, and squeezed my hand. More on that poignant conversation at another time.
In the meantime, tomorrow I will share further thoughts on life, and death, and eternity.
Also, if I can muster the composure, I may put my thoughts together as a part of my weekly Hidden Headlines Podcast.
Check back and thanks for allowing me to share.
Meantime, thanks for your prayers.