Picking up the pieces

This past year and a half has been a rough one for me and my family.  And now my beautiful, sweet Mom passed away suddenly on Monday, May 6 after a brief illness.

My Mom was more than a mother to me, she was also my best friend.  We enjoyed doing many of the same things, going to the same places.  She taught me to sew, to cook and bake, to garden.  We shared recipes, quilt patterns and more.  My love of local history comes from her sharing her stories with me, of introducing me to historical homes and villages from a very young age.  My Mom loved lilacs but never got to see them bloom this Spring.

We spoke every day on the phone, about everything and nothing.  She was always the first person I called for advice.  She instilled in me a love of family and home, of what is truly important.  My Mom would do anything for anybody.  Right up to the end, she worried about me and my cancer, not wanting me to visit her at the hospital for fear that I would pick up a virus due to my compromised  immune system.  I went anyway, just as she would have done.  She made sure I had homemade soup for my bad "chemo" days, when that's all I can manage to eat.  I'm still trying to imagine living in a world where she is no longer there.

My last chemo treatment is scheduled for later this week.  It will be bittersweet for me because Mom wanted so badly to see me finish treatment and be cancer free.

Mom,  I will miss you every minute of every day for the rest of my life.  I will miss your smile, the sound of your voice, your laughter.  I love you so much.  Until we meet again ... xoxo