Remembering Mom

Hello, my good friends and family!  I hope this post finds you happy and healthy and in NO pain (or, minimal pain! We "fibromytes" know it's nearly impossible to have NO pain.)  I am doing OK, just tired and achy. This summer with my husband's surgery really took it out of me.  And trying to put it back in is like trying to squeeze a fat lady into a girdle!! LOL...  And I know really how hard that is, too, me being way over what I should on the scales!

I've really been extremely nostalgic lately for my mom. I know I talk about her a lot, but she meant a lot to me.  No getting over that.  People would think we were twins or sisters.  Now, I could read that in a good way....my mom looks YOUNGER than her age or I can read it in a bad way....being that I look OLDER than my age!!!  Mom loved it, nonetheless. The picture above is of my mom and I.  I had taken diet pills in the late 1990's for a few years, and lost a lot of weight. Then I had to quit the pills as they were raising my BP too high and the weight just piled back on.  I didn't learn anything when I was taking the pills, so I had no skills to hone in on after I stopped the pills.  This is why that surgery and after-care will be very important for me.  Maybe I can keep the weight off for life!!

I remember the last meal my mom fixed for me.  We were in the extended stay Motel 6 in San Antonio, TX and I was going through the orientation period that lasted two weeks.  Anyway, she fixed us both scrambled eggs (my favorite!), bacon and hash brown potatoes.  She fixed too much and we couldn't finish it all, but I'll always remember that meal as it was the last one I shared with my mom.  I didn't know it then, but when I think about it now, the lesson I learned is to treat every meal as if it were your last. You just don't know!!  The picture above was the last picture ever taken of my mom.  We were still in the motel and she was making funny faces and doing her crossword puzzle books. She loved those!  She probably would KILL ME if she knew I was posting pics of her in her nightgown, but oh well.  I love living on the fine line of danger!!!  As you can see on her left arm, she has a burn mark from when she fell in the parking lot of Walmart, trying to get into the van.  The pavement was so hot, she got little burns like that all over her body.  And it seemed like the ambulance was taking FOREVER!  I knew she had dislocated her artificial hip by the way she was sprawled out on the pavement.

Okay, now I will end my trip down memory lane by ending this post with a poem that I dedicate not only to my mom, but to all those people out there that have lost someone in their life.  May we all find peace in our hearts when we think of loved ones gone forever.

Keep My Memory Alive

Sometimes life is different
Than what we had expected.
Sometimes things turn
Out not the way we had planned,
But we must go on.
We must travel ahead in time.
And sometimes you can't look back,
The memories are still too strong
The time too new.
Sometimes people must leave the road
To travel another.
Or sometimes they have come to the end.
I have come to the end,
But don't be saddened,
For you must come to an end, too.
And I will see you again then.
But now you must travel on
Even though I can't be there
To travel with you.
I can't be there to wipe away your pain
Or be a shoulder to cry on.
But I am in your heart now and forever.
All you have to do is look only a little
And you will find me, waiting.
Waiting to give you my love.
When I left my ended road,
I chose to live in a safer place,
My soul sought out a new home.
And if you wish to feel it in your heart,
It is there,                                         
I am there.
So remember me,
But not with tears;
I am not a sorry and sad person.
Remember me with fondness,
And happiness and laughter,
All of these I had lived for.

Yes, sometimes we must leave
To travel another road.
I have been placed on that road away from you
But someday I will see you there, too.
We will hug, laugh,
And shed tears only of happiness.
Until then,
I want you to look back
And remember me like I was
And with a smile in your heart,
For that is where I am.
Be strong
And go on your road, your life
Living it for all it's worth,
Like I had.
Think of me often
And the times, places, and memories
Buried in your heart and mind.
That you know; and I know
Will keep my memory alive
And in all those who love me.

This is one of my favorite poems that I wrote.  I can see my mom saying those things to me and it gives me comfort.  I hope it does the same for you and the loved ones you have lost and miss so dearly.

The picture above is of my mom, on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, outside of Norfolk, Virginia.  My grandma, mom and I went to Virginia for that intensive speech program for stutterers.  That would be me!  That seminar was so worth it, though.  I lead a more productive life now, knowing that I can say my OWN name in public, or order what I REALLY want to eat, instead of what was the easiest to say.  The life of a stutterer is NOT fun, I tell you that.  But this course was a miracle for me. And we had so much fun driving cross country and having our little "adventures."

Okay, that'll do it for now. I wish you all a blessed week.  I hope you all get everything in life you ever dreamed of.....or at least a close second choice! LOL....

God bless,
Until next post,

Missy