1987, the year when the Federal debt was $2346.1 billion, the median household income was $26,000, unemployment was 6.2%, and the cost of a first-class stamp was only $0.22. Good times indeed, no?
For the Dose, that year wasn’t so good. It was the year my beautiful mother passed away, days shy of her 63rd birthday. Interesting that, though it’s now 34 years ago, my sisters and I can remember the day our mom died like it was yesterday. The hour, the setting, the people… all so crystal clear in our mind’s eye.
Yet when we gather together on the anniversary of her death and start chatting about Sarah Helen – it’s not about the sadness surrounding her death. We talk about her courage as she faced the tumor brewing in her brain and her fearless determination to persevere through her dying days.
Lamenting over the “why’s” – why the illness, why the death, why her – would be a waste of time… like playing a record over and over again, waiting for the lyrics to change.
Today, I’m celebrating my mother’s life and thanking her for the life she gave me – and for the sparkle she gave me to shine through the years without her.
3 Responses
Oh, so true
Thanks for the memories.She was our blessing and I am thankful for her and my 2 sisters. Love is the word for all things.
Thanks for sharing, Donna. Such truth here.
Matt’s Dad died last year. Although we miss him, thinking about him doesn’t make us sad. We think about what a full, rich life he had, what a blessing he was to us and all the wonderful times we had together. We remember him fondly and with love. That is the mark of a life well lived … the impact we have on others.
Your last paragraph says it all! Your mother was an inspiration to all that knew her! Jean