Reflections

Just how do you say goodbye to a mother?  I have kept myself absorbed and busy with the task at hand.  Making her as comfortable as possible, shopping for little things she needs, cleaning some and constant trips to and stays at the hospital.  What I cannot face is to never hear her voice again.  To never smell her sweet smell. To never hug her and laugh with her.  To not ever again pick up my phone and call her once or twice a day just to check in and see how her day went.  Recently, I have spent as many hours as I possibly can right by her side but in day to day life there was rarely a day that went by that I did not talk to her.  How do I begin to make those same connections with other people like I have done with my Mom for almost 55 years?  I am the only daughter and only grandaughter of two strong women.  I am numb almost.  Going through the motions.  I just do not want her to suffer in any way and I am helpless to fix anything.  So I do my best.  Fluff pillows, get ice, place aquaphor within her reach and love her.

My Mother Kept A Garden




My Mother kept a garden.

A garden of the heart;

She planted all the good things,

That gave my life it's start.



She turned me to the sunshine,

And encouraged me to dream:

Fostering and nurturing

The seeds of self-esteem.



And when the winds and rains came,

She protected me enough;

But not too much, she knew I'd need

To stand up strong and tough.



Her constant good example,

Always taught me right from wrong;

Markers for my pathway

To last my whole life long.



I am my Mother's garden,

I am her legacy.

And I hope today she feels the love,

Reflected back from me.

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