My Mom

My Mom........to her friends she’s known as Dorothy; to some she’s known as Dot; she’s Mamma to Lance, Jacque & Patty; and to Debbie, James and I she’s just Mom.  If I were asked to describe & define my Mom to a stranger, I would probably use nouns such as soft, sacrificing, honest, caring, loving, strong, sometimes insecure, a bit shy and beautiful.   She is all of these and more to me and you need to know that she is also one of my Best Friends.  

Mom is an excellent bowler; she loves to fish with a cane pole; she’s nervous around water and she loves her grandchildren more than life; well, at least equal to her dog, Missy.  She met my Dad in downtown Dallas in the 50’s and they married on what is now a Love Field Airport runway.   She worked for years at Sears; not in the climate controlled retail stores, but in the hot warehouse assembly line so us kids could attend church school.  She smuggled Dr. Pepper’s to me at boarding school and was the only family member that didn’t reject me when I pierced my ears.  She never said “I told you so” when my first marriage ended in divorce.  She just loved me.........unconditionally.

Mom is experiencing challenges right now in her life.  She is not old, or at least I don’t consider 77 old, yet she is battling diseases that were meant for someone much older.  Her battles include Parkinsons, Breast Cancer (survivor, I might add) and a little thing called Lewy Body Dementia.   The Parkinsons is causing her to be unstable on her feet and fall a lot, which explains the broken hand she currently has.  Nerve damage has set in and we are possibly looking at surgery the end of this week.  The Breast Cancer appears to be under control  for which we are thankful.  The Lewy Body Dementia is her/our biggest battle right now.  It is responsible for horrible nightmares, slowed movement, confusion, memory loss and the list continues on and on.  If you’ve ever had a loved one travel through this twilight zone called dementia, you know what I’m talking about.  I really can’t think of anything that has been more difficult in my life than to watch her go through this process.   My 1st marriage/divorce to an alcoholic; learning I could never have children of my own; getting caught cheating on a Home Ec final cause I paid someone to make the dress for me; none of this compares to the pained heart I have for my Mom right now.  She has had to give up her freedom of driving and going wherever and whenever she wants; she now has to rely on others for this.  She has to use a walker now & we have threatened to velcro it to her hand so she doesn’t forget it.  Some days are better than others and I have learned through this process that I can only look at today; not yesterday...not tomorrow....just today.   

We know there is no cure for what Mom is experiencing.  What we do know is that God has a purpose for Mom.  Maybe it was to bring my brother, sister and I closer together, which it has; maybe it was to teach us all patience in a frustrating, helpless situation; maybe it was to teach us unconditional love; you know, the kind Mom gave us.  I really don’t know why God allows these things to happen to His people. But what I do know is that HE knows and I trust in His decisions.

Please Say A Prayer For My Mom Tonight ...........