Mothers…….

It’s been a very hard few days. My mother passed away last Friday. She had a very difficult couple of years, and the past 6 weeks were especially difficult for her, well as for my father, sister and my wife. Ever the strong woman, Mom fought hard to stick around – and while the spirit may have been willing, her body failed her. At 86 she lived a long life, however I suspect those in their eighties don’t think it long enough. I know I don’t consider having lead a long life even as I approach my 60’s. I believe I have much, much more to accomplish prior to my own inevitable departure.

A couple days prior to her passing, my good friend Frank Dedon from Abraxus Snow in Parma, Ohio sent me an email that stated, in part, “I have often said – only one thing in this life that is for sure, is who your mother is. Everything else can possibly have a “maybe” attached to it. That’s why mom’s are the special one, and if you get a chance – tell her this guy you know, Frank said she did a pretty damn good job in showing the world what she is about with the person her son has become. I also know that dad was the other 49% of who you are…. someone I and many others call a friend.”

Truer words were never spoken. I never got to tell Mom what Frank said because by the time I got that message from Frank, she was in a state where she was being made comfortable and was not coherent enough to have any conversation. I surely do hope she understood and realized she was loved. She had her faults, as we all do – but Frank is spot on inasmuch it was hard to see her leave us. I’m secure in the knowledge she is no longer suffering, and Lord knows she went through much more in the past year than anyone should have to endure.

My father was her care-giver these past few years, never once complaining about it. He was there every step of the way, including sitting with her for 8, 10, 12 hours during her many and lengthy stays in various hospitals over the years, and in the skilled nursing facility the last week of her life. I do have one issue with Frank’s missive. While Dad’s are our closest friends at times – I also think he is a saint. If it should happen to me that Peggy must go first, I can only hope I can be half as good to her as my father was to my mother.