My next blog post was supposed to be a recap of the girlfriend getaway to Vegas that I took in mid-January. But it seems the universe had other plans, and on 25th January in a shockingly quick turn, we lost my mom to her nearly decade-long battle with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL).
If you'd ever asked my mom about her impact on the world, it's likely she would have been baffled by the question and told you that she was "just" a wife and mother (and now grandmother, too) and customer service rep. But the outpouring of sympathy messages our family has received in the days following her death belies that she was "just" anything, other than an extraordinary woman, living her ordinary life.
We are heartbroken in our loss, of course, but seeing and hearing from hundreds of people whose lives she touched, who have great affection for her, and who wanted to honor her memory brings us a measure of comfort. And honor her they have. Between the cards and letters, meals, flowers, memorial plants, and thousands of dollars raised for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in her memory, we can see that her passing leaves a hole in the world that will not soon be filled, not just for her family, but for friends, co-workers, and acquaintances as well.
And perhaps this is her final lesson to me: while you may never know or see the impact your actions have on the world, someone is observing you and measuring you by them. Even the smallest things, even things you don't remember, may become important memories to someone else. Make those memories good ones.
I miss you, Mom.
Beautifully said. You're a testiment to her memory, too.
Posted by: red pen mama | February 05, 2010 at 11:38 AM