Remembering Mom

Today marks one year since my wonderful mom passed away.  It has, admittedly, been a hard year without her because so much of my life was entwined with hers.  In some ways, we were so very different from each other, but in other ways, we were such kindred spirits that I described us as taking the same breaths.  She made her last year the very best she could as cancer slowly consumed her.  I learned during that time with her to not take anything or anyone for granted.  We would sit on the side of her bed in our local nursing home, with our arms around each other, looking out the window onto the garden and watching the seasons go by.  We looked at old photo albums together time and time again and reminisced about all of the fun she had had in life and that we had shared together.  We re-read aloud newsletters from her hometown's historical society.  We celebrated her 85th birthday with genuine joy.  We remembered her 80th birthday with all of the parties and the fuchsia feather boa she wore as a gift from our good friend Chris. We cheered on the Green Bay Packers to victory.  We danced together at the nursing home's Valentine's Day ball.  Thanks to that precious time with Mom, I learned to slow down and to take in the details, really take them in.  I learned to honor the moment in which I found myself, whether it hurt or not.  In the end, Mom slipped away, with me holding her hand, wishing I could start life with her all over again so we could have even more fun times together.  Perhaps that is the gift of a life well-lived:  Enough is never enough.  But, now one year has passed and I realize that although she is not here for more fun times together, I am still blessed because my life was made the richer, simply by having her as my mom.  I miss you, Mom.  'Love you always.