Wednesday, May 9, 2012

THURSDAY THOUGHTS - Her Influence Still Nurtures Us

Guest Post...

I have been thinking lately how appropriate it is to celebrate Mother's day in the Spring, for that is the time of rebirth and great nurturing.  All around us we see neighbors and friends fertilizing lawns, planting gardens, pruning trees, refurbishing flowerbeds, and seeing to the needs of their yards and plants.  Mothers are the ones who nurture us in so many ways.  Physically, emotionally, and spiritually, they lead us along our life's path.

This Mother's Day is the first that my mother has not been here to thank and honor (in person at least).  Her headstone is in place and it is beautifully crafted.  Seeing it for the first time was almost surreal for me.  It was like the official stamp to signify that at least for now, her absence is final.  However, her influence still nurtures all of us.

Ryan, my oldest son, works in New York and says that he feels even closer to her since she passed.  He told me that he prays to her because she knows him so well and she encourages him along.  Matthew told me that he spoke with her OUT LOUD to tell her about his new job and the excitement he was feeling at that time.   Nick remembers with fondness (and a little guilt) how full she kept the fridge and freezer for him and his friends when he was in high school.  I will forever be grateful that she and Daddy were there in our old family home to welcome me back after each of two failed marriages.  Daddy says that many times after he wakes from a short nap, he feels she has been there for a while just to visit.  To this day, I drive to work with no radio or music playing.  I used to call my mom every morning on the way to work.  Now this silent commute provides the time for me to think of her and talk to her every work day.  I find it so amazing and most unanticipated that cancer is one of the things my mother and I had in common; different types, but cancer all the same.  I know neither of us would have imagined that years ago.

Temple Bailey penned a quote which expresses beautifully the feelings our family has about my mother this year: "Where's Mother", could be heard through the hallway, and they stood and watched as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her, and they said, "We cannot see her, but she is with us still.  A mother like ours is more than a memory, she is a living presence."

Along with my own mother, I am constantly amazed at the strength and fortitude of the moms I have met in our group, Lifting Hearts.  They continue to nurture their families and fight cancer at the same time.  We all know how much energy and strength cancer takes from its victims, but these women don't give up.  They are and will continue to be a living presence to those whose lives they touch each and every day.

-Kathy Christensen
Survivor
Member, Lifting Hearts

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