Reflections

This was my PTI Guest Star Stamper Mother's Day entry for April. The picture is one of my favorite of my mother. She looks young and healthy with no hint of the breast cancer battle to come.

Growing up, I helped raise my brother while mom worked nights trying to make ends meet. She had made mistakes in her life; three marriages with two ending in divorce. During one of the divorces, we had to hide out because of the violence we were escaping from. During that time, mom never let my brother or myself suffer any bitterness from her, she always had a smile for us and plenty of love.

Mom was an excellent crafter; painting, ceramics, needlepoint, making afghans, decorating cakes; you name it, if she put her mind to it there was nothing stopping her from getting it done. She was also the best teacher when it came to painting and the ceramics and this is where I got my love of painting and talent from. God gave me the talent, my mom helped me channel it and refine it. When she became disabled from a snow trip accident while preventing another child from being seriously hurt, and took up babysitting as her income, she discovered a lump in her breast after one of those kids accidentally hit her in that same breast. At first the doctors thought it was just a cyst, but biopsies proved otherwise, and my mom began the fight of her life. For four years she fought that battle, with being declared clean for one of them. Radiation, chemo, surgery, positive thinking; you name it, everything couldn't save her.

On May 19th, 1991, my mother, my mentor, my best friend lost her battle with the ugliest disease in the world one week after Mother's Day. I missed saying goodbye by 5 minutes.

Today she still is cancer free in Heaven with our Lord and Savior, and yet the pain here is still there although somewhat diminished. My kids understand why I don't like mother's day a lot since it brings back bad memories.

Cherish your own mother more each day since you don't know when she'll be gone.


Stamps: PTI Friends Till The End
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Frame, Dimensionals, Prismacolor Markers, Stampendous Class A Peel Stickers