My Amazing Mom

MOM...spelled with three simple letters, but let me say those letters are far from simple when you think of what mom has meant to me in my life. She was the mom that could do it all...fix dinner for 13, and still have room at the table for a few more of our friends to join in. And that was a daily task...Kind of like the loaves and the fishes...And the laundry! If I ever thought I have done a lot of laundry in my life...well, she did at least 12 times more.

Some of my fondest memories are of the early mornings waking early while mom was baking the daily loaves of bread. I would come into the kitchen, crawl under the kitchen counter where the heater vent was, get nice and warm, and visit with mom until the bread came out of the oven. Often, she would offer me a cup of hot chocolate, and that amazing fresh bread...lightly toasted. It was just quiet time for us to visit...considering there was a bit of competition to get her attention, I cherished these moments. I can still smell that amazing warmth even though it has been donkey’s years since I have had that experience. And cookie baking after school...nothing like fresh, home made cookies and milk after school.

Mostly, Mom was a friend, a confidant...someone I could share anything that was going on in my life with. She listened to my woes, and always had one solution or another for me to consider. Even though we missed each other terribly, I kept her updated on our life abroad in NZ through the use of Skype. It was her once/weekly time to tell it like it is...because we all know that mom just did not beat around the bush. Mom said what she felt! No holds barred...she also didn’t really care what others thought of her. She was just real.

From the time I heard that mom was on her way to the Emergency Room on December 3, 2010 until the time I made arrangements for a visit back home, I truly thought mom would pull through this illness and return home to her busy life. There was no one telling me to get on a plane fast...just a suggestion from Todd that if I wanted to see mom it might be a good idea to come home. There was no emergency alarm in his voice. It wasn’t until I came through the customs door at SFO and saw my two kids sobbing...that I knew that things had gone from mom is going to recover, to a very grave situation in a very short time. Mom was waiting for those of us traveling home to say goodbye. I am so grateful that she was able to hang on so I could give her my final hugs and convey my love to her.

It is all a blur since that night at the hospital when the doctor took us aside and outlined mom’s wishes. She was amazing...she was completely lucid, and very aware of her wishes. We sang and prayed with mom...and we all gave her our love and lots of tears. It was really quite surreal. Then, she slipped into the morphine zone, and drifted peacefully off to heaven.

What has happened since mom passed is a lot of intense emotions mixed with sleep deprivation, and a feeling that my head is not connected to my body. So many tasks that needed to be done before the ceremony, and thankfully we all pulled together as a team and pulled off an amazing service and reception that mom would have been proud to be at. It was truly a community outpouring of love and affection toward our amazing mom.

Also...the enormous task of moving mom’s personal items out of her apartment. She even wrote a column about 'Pack Rats...Are You One Of Them'? Mom was the ultimate pack rat! She kept that Thrift Shop in Pt. Reyes Station in business. Funny that they were so fussy about taking back what she had purchased ...hmmmn. So...off to Goodwill instead.

So now I am back in the land of the Kiwi...looking down my list of phone numbers that I store on Skype, and not able to take mom’s number off that list. Lots of tears are popping out of my eyes...I can pretend to call her...she always told me that it is okay to talk out loud to yourself...especially when you need to sort things out. So mom...since you are out there, I will still continue having those great conversations with you...and I will always love you, and hold you deep in my heart. God bless you mom!

An amazing poem that was shared by a special person in my life:

Your mother lives inside your laughter,
She's the place you come from.
Your first home.
She's your first love
And your first heartbreak.
And nothing on earth can separate you.
Not time, not space...not even death.
You carry her inside you.

Sending love and hugs to all. xoxo, ~Skye