I want to thank everyone for the emails, cards and messages regarding the death of my mother. I’ve been taking care of Mom since 1997 when she was diagnosed with cancer. She survived that bout though the past fourteen years turned into a constant stream of illnesses for her. If it was a virus going around, Mom was destined to catch it.

She passed on April 2nd though I prefer to think she went on the 1st. Mom did love a good joke and April Fool’s Day would be a fitting date. I’d taken her to the emergency room ten days before and she received a pacemaker. She was doing well so I brought her home on the twenty-ninth. We were supposed to have home health aides and a nurse but the agency (koff) screwed that up.

THAT’S a story for another time.

Mom was wanting a bath and since I couldn’t get her up the steps we opted for the kitchen sink. I’d bought this little shelf thing that she was supposed to hold against the back of her neck so I could wash her hair and the water would run into the sink. One thing I didn’t take into account was that she didn’t have a neck! So I was studiously washing and rinsing her hair only to notice her belly was jiggling because she was laughing. I asked her what was wrong and she gave me a Mona-Lisa smile and said ‘nothing’.

Only later did I realize her neck was too short to keep the tray in place and all the water was running down her back. We laughed and she said, ‘That’s my kid.’

Yes, Mom, I am definitely your daughter.

Tags : Thank You