6 Years ago this week all sorts of bad things happened, but by far the worst for me personally was losing my mother. She was as imperfect as anyone could possibly be, but she was always my mother.
In many ways I was blessed to be able to spend the last 5 years of her life with her. She was losing her mind to Alzheimers, she remained a bitter and mean woman. She said things that only an elderly person with Alzheimers could get away with and she was uncomfortable to be around. That said, I rode my bike often to see her, to sit outside while she smoked, to watch her have lunch, to take her to doctors appointments, to make decisions on treating her cancer, to hold her hand and to love her.
To be honest, in some ways it was the worst of times. Then again, I was with her to the end, I was able to forgive her the imperfections that I hope my own children can forgive me for. At the end, she was in a hospital bed, dying from a stroke, and the children and I got the chance to say a final goodbye. Not everyone gets that chance. Not everyone gets a few years to work out issues, to show compassion and respect, to allow years of pent of frustration to shed away and to just love someone who is desperately in need of love.
When we talk about her now, we almost always laugh. She was a silly woman. She was a funny woman. She was a strange old bird. She was my mother.
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