As I was looking over Twitter I found an interesting daily blog prompt I thought would be easy for me to sit and write about. The prompt, "What is your most memorable time with your Mother and/or Grandmother? - Was it when you went on a special vacation? Did you have a heart to heart conversation? Why is she special to you? What makes her the best?" So here it goes.
My mom was my best friend, confidant and held a very special place in my heart. There are so many memorable times with my mom I don't even know where to begin. There is the time that she and I went to Myrtle Beach for a weekend getaway and decided to go on a casino boat. On this cruises you have to sail a hour out into international waters to begin the gambling. This hour of cruising can included some choppy waters and it can take a little while to get your "sea legs". While the boat was still docked I headed to the bar and took a motion sickness pill with a vodka cranberry. My mom on the other hand did not. She was so sick almost the entire cruise, she began to feel better just as they were ready to stop the gambling to return the boat dock. Word to the wise, if you have not been on one of these cruises before, there are barf bags everywhere, so they are ready at all times; if you have to use the restroom, use it before you leave as you will see nothing but the back of people's feet under the stalls as they are suffering from the motion sickness and finally and probably most importantly, DO NOT each greasy food before going. My mom and I had stopped at Johnny Rockets and shared Chili Cheese Fries and some Onion Rings before boarding. I am not sure if she was more sick from the boat or the greasy food bouncing around in her stomach.
There was the time that I surprised my mom for Mother's Day by buying her tickets to see Bob Segar. We had a blast at the concert and is a time I will never forget.
I will never forget how beautiful and nervous she was on my wedding day or the reminder that I was on my honeymoon when she was calling me daily.
Although we had our feuds, as I am sure that most moms and daughters do, I loved her more than anything in this world and now I am left with a whole in my heart.
On Sunday, June 8, 2008, I received a phone call stating that my mom had been in a car accident. Expecting nothing major, I made my way calmly to the hospital. Just weeks prior she had been diagnosed cancer free after a long battle with cervical cancer. The reality hit me when I walked into the ER and saw a chaplain and a social worker talking with my family who was already there. The hospital does not send these people unless it is serious. After waiting what seemed a lifetime, the doctors came and spoke with us and told us that she was being moved to the ICU but the prognosis was not good. Tearful, my family and I made our way to the ICU waiting room praying that things would take a turn for the better. Within minutes of arriving in the waiting room, a "Code Blue" was called over the load speaker, all nearby doctors and nurses took off running. I looked at my husband and told him that was it, she was gone. About fifteen minutes later, we were asked to go to the family room because the doctors wanted to speak with us. Once in there the doctors told us that due to the multiple injuries she had received her body was in shock and her heart could no longer handle it. They took a minute to "clean her up" and took us back to see her. She was so peaceful lying there. She was covered up to her neck with a sheet and her head was wrapped with a bandage, all we could see was her beautiful face which had a blackened eye. The reality of the situation hit me hard and panic sank in, my husband and a nurse did all they could just to get me to breath. My 90 year old grandfather was given a chair so he would not loose his footing. We were given a few minutes to say our goodbyes and we left.
This is the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with in my life. My mother was taken from us just a short three and a half months after I was married. She wanted nothing more than grandchildren, thirteen months after her accident, I gave birth to our beautiful twin girls. There are times when I am so angry that she never got to hold them but I know that she is the best guardian angel they could have.
I try to remember the good times we had and the way she laughed and her smile that could light up a room. Our last conversation was about making baked potatoes on the grill. These are things I will never forget. I hold tight to my memories of her and the love that we had for each other and I know that I will see her again one day.
Hold tight to the ones that you love as you never know that today could be their last.
For writing prompts, visit the following website:
http://www.socialmoms.com/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=writing+prompt
