Brushstrokes of Heaven
As her mother lay dying, a daughter paints life.
When Jo Myers-Walker heard the doctor tell her 93-year-old mother, Josephine Clymer, that it was time for hospice, Jo made a decision: She would make the last days of her mother's life beautiful and meaningful.
"I told myself to get it together and make it the best death I can. I felt as though I was on a mission to make this a joyful experience for her because she was so strong in her faith," Jo says. Since Jo is an artist, she used the tools of her trade: watercolor paints, paper and brushes.
Bedside studio
Jo turned her mother's room into an art studio. On occasion Jo painted scenes from her mother's life while they talked about the past. Other times she helped her mom create her own pictures using watercolors. Jo wet the paper so that when her mother brushed it with color, the results were immediate. That's what dying people need. "You may have 10 minutes to bring joy to somebody's life before she gets tired," Jo says.
The hospice provided another room where the extended family gathered. Jo stocked that room with painting supplies for Josephine's great-grandchildren. When Josephine felt strong enough, they wheeled her into the family room and they all painted together. The 2-year-olds painted with their fingers. At times, her mother used her fingers, too.
Giving Mom a voice
As Josephine grew weaker, she spoke less. When she was completely bedridden, Jo devised a new way to help her mom express her thoughts. Josephine painted while propped up in bed, the wet paper lying on her stomach. She created several pieces depicting her faith journey — serene landscapes and colorful depictions of her future joy.
In "Portal of Hope," Josephine put down color but left a portion unpainted. Jo understood what her mother was telling her. At death she would pass through a portal. From then on, all her paintings had golden or white openings. Once Josephine asked her daughter to sprinkle gold glitter around a portal. "It's as though she was seeing heaven," Jo explains.
Jo knew how important it was for Josephine to sense that her life had meaning and asked if her mom would like to show her paintings. The idea delighted Josephine. "Call the show 'Portals of Hope,' " she told her daughter.
A few months after her mother's death, Jo mounted and arranged the collection. It consisted of all of Josephine's paintings and several done by Jo to commemorate her mother's life. One shows young Josephine with her sisters. One depicts her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In another, Josephine has a new body and wears a white dress with a matching purse. Every painting contains a portal of hope: the promise of new life for those who believe in Christ.
The final canvas
As her mother drew nearer to death, Jo wanted her to lean upon the faith that had sustained her throughout life and to face death without fear.
Jo hung the painting of Josephine as a young woman and "Portal of Hope" in her mother's room. They talked about the new body waiting for her in heaven. In her dying moments, Josephine gazed at the paintings. Jo asked God to surround her mother with angels for the last step of her journey. When her mother died peacefully and without a struggle, she knew her prayer was answered.
Jo misses her mother, but she is thankful for the last weeks they spent together. "There was a purpose for me to be here and walk her home. That's what she did for me my whole life. I was just doing it back."