There are times like yesterday that I take a moment, take a deep breath and really appreciate my life and that I am still alive. And active. Mom and I spent the day together. It wasn't so much what we shared but it was the realization that we have a great relationship that is as dear friends rather than a mother/daughter. She never tells me what to do. She never mentions when I am not having a good hair day. She also tells great stories of things she did and people she met during the days we have been separated.
I feel rather sad that my siblings don't know our mom as a person. She has been sharing lots of stories from her childhood that I have never heard before. She even told me she invited my dad to dinner at her house while her parents were away. She had never cooked before!
When she dies, these are the times that I will hold even closer to my heart. She was a fantastic mom who let us fly as kids. No helicopter mom. Expand. Try. Learn from failure. All the life lessons that set the three of us for successful lives both personally and professionally. But, it is our relationship at this time of our lives that we really know each other. The core of a person. The strengths. The worries.
My biggest fear is that I will die before her. That would really be hard on her. It think it would kill her. But, as we talk about everything, we talked about it. Michael has made it clear that he will be her caretaker so she doesn't have to move from the area she loves. She was very touched by that. She adores him and trusts him.
With blue skies and a bit of a cool breeze, we walked around the goat farm and little downtown area before having lunch at the counter of our favorite dive. It was there we had a chat with the 84-year old third generation owner and met one of the grandsons for the first time. Mom had a lot of fun. I had a lot of fun. It was really a day to be tucked away to be remembered.
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