Marking the Hardest Day - Again..

Last week, I had a post that marked everyone's birthdays. While those are all nice things, I did pass on one anniversary that comes up on the same week every year.

It was 18 years ago today that my Mom passed away from Hodgkins Disease, which is basically cancer of the lymphatic system. It's hard to believe that I've lived nearly half of my life with her gone now. Like most families, my Mom was the glue that held the family together, and when she died, things never were the same. While my brothers and sisters all get along, we rarely get together.

Rather than focus on her passing, today I decided that I should talk about the way she lived. Yeah, I was her kid, but there was no nicer person who ever walked on the Earth. I was the spitting image of her personality, if not her appearance, although at times I fall well short of the mark she set. The moderate part of how I see things in politics comes directly from how Mom saw the world. She always saw the good side of things, and though sometimes I do wish i was a bit more of a hardass, I know that this side of me is actually her spirit living on in the example she set.

Mom also had a wicked sense of humor. I mostly remember her doing the laugh from the Wicked Witch in 'The Wizard of Oz'. It wasn't easy for her, because her heart was weak, but she'd amuse me anyway. She also was a phenomenal cook. The Chicken Parmigiana of mine that everyone loves was taught to me by her.

Like everyone thinks, my Mom was the best ever. I miss her pretty badly sometimes, but she had been sick for a long time, she's in a better place - and I know she watches over me all the time..

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