My mother had to move to an assisted living apartment building. This move was very difficult for her because she had lived in the same house for fifty six years. Her home included a large yard and several gardens. It was because of the amount of work that we knew she could no longer safely stay there، yet it was difficult for all of us to place the house up for sale. There were many wonderful memories within the walls of the home. Mom knew that many of her pieces of furniture would be too large for the apartment and that she needed to part with many things due to condensing space. There were a few things that she refused to part with. One of them was her angel chime. This had been the last gift our father had bought for her.
Mom bought new furniture for her apartment. We packed her favorite dishware to have with her in the apartment. The living room window of her apartment faces an enclosed courtyard. There are a few trees planted in the area and several residents had bird feeders outside their windows in this area. There is a door to access the area not far from mom’s apartment. We bought mom a double shepherd hook and hung her angel chime on one hook and a finch feeder on the other. Mom was pleased that she could see and hear her angel chime from her living room chair. We were concerned that the sound of the chime would keep the birds away، but we thought we would wait and see.
The angel chime is made of copper and metal. It has turned an interesting green color with the passage of time. My father was not one to spend a great deal of time shopping or picking out gifts for others، so that was why the angel chime was so special to mom. She never knew where he bought it or if someone had made it for him. He had brought it home one day when he had met friends for coffee. He told mom that the angel chime was to watch over her. He died unexpectedly three days later. Mom has always felt that he must have felt sick and knew that he was dying and the gift of the angel chime was his way of letting her know that.
Mom has settled into her apartment and we have adjusted to having someone else living in the family home. Mom is more active now that she is in an apartment building that houses other seniors. She likes that the people that face her courtyard are able to share her angel chime. Many of the residents have commented on how lovely the chime is.
