A Remarkable Woman

March 30, 2010  was the day my life changed forever.  That was the day my mom died.  I should have posted this on the anniversary of her death.  That's not only that day that's hard for me. That day, through Mother's Day, is a difficult time for me.

I wrote the following piece after Mom died.  My sister-in-law read it at her funeral for me.  I'm proud of it.  It shows how commited my mom was to making sure I had the best life possible.  

My mother dedicated her life to me.   She was my sole caregiver until the age of eighty-seven.  Even after we had help, she was still overseeing everything, making sure my caregivers did everything the right way.  We did not get twenty-four hour help until last August.  She was still assisting me at night, by herself, up until that time.  Pretty amazing, when you consider she was ninety-one years old.

My mother made sure I didn’t miss out on anything I wanted to do.  When I was little I wanted to be in the Girl Scouts.  Mom would leave our grocery store to meet my school bus, at a stop along the route and take me to my troop meeting.  She didn’t want me to be late.

I was in Shriners Hospital for over three months when I was eleven.  Mom visited me faithfully.  The one day she was unable to visit, she sent me a card.

After I graduated, Mom drove me to job interviews.  When I got a part time job, she made sure I got there on time every day.

We went on a cruise to Alaska one summer.  One of the side trips was flying over Glacier Bay in a little piper cub.  I had trouble keeping my balance in the plane.  I kept falling over.  I was nauseous and scared to death.  Mom loved it.  She kept saying how beautiful Glacier Bay was.  I had to take her word for it.  I was too busy praying. 
 
And, how many other eighty-one year old women can rock out at a Cher
concert?  My mom did.  

My mother was my caregiver, cheerleader, my sounding board and my support system.  Without her love and support, I would have accomplished nothing in my life. Thank you Mom.  I love you.  I’ll miss you everyday.