On May 21, 2004, my mother, Catherine (Ruby) Farnsworth, passed through the veil, but before she left, she carried out one last act of motherly love for me. She was selfless and thoughtful to the end.
Our family homestead was in Kirtland, New Mexico, and that was where mom lived at the time. A few weeks before she passed away, mom was visiting my sister, Jaynie, in Allison, Colorado. While she was in Colorado, I developed a very painful kidney stone ailment. It is a condition that runs in the family. I hurt all the time but couldn’t get in to see the doctor for a couple weeks. While mom was in Allison, she started feeling sick, so my sister, Elva Lee, went to Allison to bring her to Farmington, New Mexico to take her to the doctor. The day of her doctor’s appointment, I met mom for lunch. She still had an appetite but due to the kidney stone pain, I could not eat, and left lunch early because I was hurting so much. My wife, Shari, drove me to lunch. She drove me everywhere at the time because of this painful condition. As we left, mom told Shari to please take care of her baby boy. I was a grown man with a family of my own, but mom still thought of me as her baby boy.
Mom went to her doctor’s appointment later that day, and the doctors quickly determined something was wrong. They admitted her to the hospital. After a series of tests, they determined she had liver cancer and it was terminal. She only had a couple more weeks to live. Even though I was in constant pain, Shari would drive me to the hospital every night to see mom. I never stayed long. Despite mom’s own terminal and painful condition, her first concern was always for me. She kept telling Shari, pleading with her, to take care of her baby boy.
The end of mom’s time on earth was fast approaching. She was no longer conscious. It was just a matter of time. The day before she passed away, all of her children were holding a vigil in her hospital room, including her nine living children and her daughter, Maudie, who passed away when she was 8 months old. This visitation by Maudie was both emotional and spiritual for all of us. Mom had not spoken for a couple days by then, but she reached for Maudie and said her name. We all knew that Maudie had come to take her mom to the other side of the veil. It was a very touching moment.
It was decided to move mom to the family home in Kirtland that evening. The consensus was that mom would want to be at home when she passed away. We all gathered to our family homestead to continue our vigil. During that time, we shared stories about mom and our childhood. Unfortunately, I was still in pain and needed to go home. I really thought that I was going to pass away with mom because I hurt so much. My siblings encouraged me to go home and told me they would let me know if anything happened.
Shari and I got home around midnight. I went to bed and laid there in agony. An hour after I got home, mom passed to the other side of the veil. At the instant she passed away, the pain left me. It was completely gone. I believe in my heart that mom asked God if she could take my pain with her. She was so concerned about her baby boy, and it was the one last thing she could do for me. I haven’t had kidney stones since. I recognize God's tender mercy in my mom’s love for her son, that through her, He healed me.
Mom continues to make sure I’m doing okay. She even sends me messages. Mom had a particularly close relationship with one of my nephews. One day she visited my nephew in spirit form and told him to give me a message. She said, “Tell your Uncle Rex to get back to church.” He delivered the message. I was overcome with emotion that she was still watching over me from the other side. I went back to church.
The love of a mother is eternal. I love and miss my mother, Catherine (Ruby) Farnsworth, and look forward to our heavenly reunion. Until it’s my time to pass through the veil, I know that she will continue to watch over me, her baby boy.
Submitted by Rex Farnsworth from Aztec, NM
July 2021
Rex's story was such a beautiful spiritual experience. Thank you for sharing.