As a young adult, she continued supporting me in my various adventures. When the traveling bug struck, she happily accompanied me across the USA, Canada, Europe, Hawaii and the Caribbean. I am filled with much laughter and delight as I think about all our escapades in non-English speaking countries. Together we used sign language and a lot of guessing to decipher driving directions when we were lost. And sometimes my cheap ways provided for some hilarious stories. (Remember the time I was out of Swiss Francs and did not want to get any more? Instead of taking the gondola down the mountain, I convinced you we could walk. When the paved road turned into a mountain hiking path, suddenly we had to carry our luggage down the mountain, across a stream and back up part of another mountain. After a couple hours, we made it! And just think, we saved $5!)
When my health took a nose dive, she was always by my side. She drove me to countless doctor's appointments and stayed too many nights next to me while I was hospitalized. She was my greatest advocate to ensure I received the proper medical care. When one medical facility would give up on me, she would encourage me to seek out another medical center. No matter how far we had to travel, she would drive me to my appointments.
Throughout the years, she always tries hard to provide treats for me. Knowing my love for butternut squash, she once got me 35 pounds of squash for Christmas! (Best Christmas gift ever!) If I am in the hospital, she always tries to buy me flowers or a plant to brighten up my room. Knowing my love for tea, she recently gave me about 100 bags of an assorted variety of tea. (Every day I wake up, I am so excited to boil some water to make tea with the tea she gave me!) When I am feeling really sick, she will often drive to the store and find one of my favorite foods to cheer me up. Additionally, she often chokes down whole milk because I love whole milk, especially in my tea!
I know these last few months have been especially hard on my mom, but she has risen to the occasion. When the nursing staff kept me up all night after having surgery, my mom fiercely scorned my nurse and doctor for waking me up. (Thanks to her, the nurses left me alone as much as possible during the night.) When I could not go home from the hospital until someone learned how to suction and change my tracheostomy tube, she fearlessly received the training and did not complain when she had to clean a tracheostomy tube filled with thick mucus. (Sorry mom!!!) When I was trying to figure out how to wash my very dirty hair without getting water in my tracheostomy tube, my mom offered to wash my hair in the kitchen sink. (Oh, happy dance! I now have clean hair!)
Although I am very sorry my life has burdened my mom with my various health trials, I am very grateful we have been able to spend so much time together. It is such a blessing to have such a caring mom. It is such a joy to have someone always by my side cheering me on. Wherever this life leads us, I know my mom will shower me with endless love. With much love! Happy Mother's Day Mom!!!
"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seeks its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endure all things" (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
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