Terminal: Our Last Trip Together

It was 2pm and I was finally done packing up for our trip to the Jersey Shore. Mom surprisingly packed up all of her clothes and toiletries pretty quickly. I asked if I could help, but she never would let me. This would be our very last vacation together. It would also be her very last Mother's Day. She had recently received her six month life sentence from her oncologist. She was terminally ill and didn't tell me. While we were in the car driving down to the shore, the song, "Sign of the Times," from Harry Styles came on and she asked me to turn it up. She was never really interested in music---or at least music that was recently made. She said, "Debbie, listen to the words of this song. I love this song."

And I did. But funny, because I didn't let the words sink in until she was gone. Mom used to say a lot of these phrases in this song. This song is poignant in many ways, especially saying that her end was near. She would often hear me crying, because I had anticipatory grief. I cried a lot, hoping she didn't hear me. I would watch her in such excruciating pain that my heart shattered into pieces every single time. She always used to say, "Don't cry, mama...please don't cry."

Instead of posting Harry Styles' original, I want to post Jasmine Thompson and Sabrina Carptenter's cover. If you can't see the video, please click here.

Just stop your crying

It's a sign of the times

Welcome to the final show

Hope you're wearing your best clothes

You can't bribe the door on your way to the sky

You look pretty good down here

But you ain't really good

If we never learn, we been here before

Why are we always stuck and running from

The bullets?

The bullets

We never learn, we been here before

Why are we always stuck and running from

The bullets?

The bullets

Just stop your crying

It's a sign of the times

We gotta get away from here

We gotta get away from here

Just stop your crying

It'll be alright

They told me that the end is near

We gotta get away from here

Just stop your crying

Have the time of your life

Breaking through the atmosphere

And things are pretty good from here

Remember everything…

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