October 1, 2023
Three weeks. I left three weeks ago today. I was heading back down to Mississippi to help Mom and Dad as she was going to start chemo. In three weeks EVERYTHING changed. I sat with Mom as they told her she had weeks to live. I was waiting as they brought her home to begin hospice care. I sat beside her for 12 days as life drained from her body. I sat through the funeral and watched the burial and now I am home and motherless. All of that was far too overwhelming to process. Nothing felt real - it was a nightmare I could not wake up from. I did not cry that much. I cried as others expressed their grief. I felt so bad for them as they mourned the loss of someone they loved and cherished. I came home to a house that had been baptized in love. It was spotless, stuffed with groceries, lots of puzzles, warm blankets, new candles... anything and everything my friends could think of to nourish me in the coming days. Their love and concern is so beautiful and so overwhelming that I burst in to tears because all I wanted to do was call Mom and tell her. Their generosity and friendship must be discussed with my mother and NOW it feels real to me.