HappyBirthday!

Today would have been my mom's 93rd birthday! Unfortunately, she only lived to be 76, after a stroke killed her instantly. One moment, she was out for a summer stroll, and after sitting down to rest, closed her eyes and never woke up.

My daughters and I went to visit her about a month before she died. We drove from Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. to Binghamton, New York, on a mission to pick up a rug and visit her at the assisted living center where she had been living for 18 months.

My mom had started to have mini strokes from not taking her blood pressure medication for years. Her memory was fading, and she was very unhappy about it.

I will never forget the last time I went to see her. I took her out for lunch, just the two of us. She waved to me for quite a while as I drove off, my arm hanging out the window, waving back to her as I watched in my rear-view mirror with tear filled eyes.

Somehow, I knew I would never see her again, and the pain of that moment still makes me weep.

I have missed this wonderful woman every day since her death in July, 1995, and pray that she is enjoying her favorite chocolate cake and strawberry ice cream up in heaven.

Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you!