Mom in memoriam 1947-2007
The first woman I ever loved died today.
She was there for me from the beginning. She offered me support when it was needed, but she wasn't afraid to shout me down when I needed that.
She relished my successes, but didn't wallow in my failures. Instead, she told me to get back on the horse and try again.
But seven months ago today, she was diagnosed with cancer. It was my turn to offer her encouragement, to share her joys. And while I did wallow in the failure at the beginning, she allowed me to mature and accept them.
As she degenerated over the last months, I could only guess at her pain. And in the last weeks at hospice, my heart broke to hear her voice become weak, to see her eyes sink in, and to watch her bottom jaw pull to an odd angle. She was becoming another person -- one I did not recognize.
So it is a Pyrrhic relief that she has died. She can once again become the person I remember her being.
She was there for me from the beginning. She offered me support when it was needed, but she wasn't afraid to shout me down when I needed that.
She relished my successes, but didn't wallow in my failures. Instead, she told me to get back on the horse and try again.
But seven months ago today, she was diagnosed with cancer. It was my turn to offer her encouragement, to share her joys. And while I did wallow in the failure at the beginning, she allowed me to mature and accept them.
As she degenerated over the last months, I could only guess at her pain. And in the last weeks at hospice, my heart broke to hear her voice become weak, to see her eyes sink in, and to watch her bottom jaw pull to an odd angle. She was becoming another person -- one I did not recognize.
So it is a Pyrrhic relief that she has died. She can once again become the person I remember her being.