IF I COULD LIVE ONE YEAR OF MY LIFE OVER...


If I could re-live one year of my life, it would be the year my mom was diagnosed with

cancer.  I would have made a point of spending more time with her and bringing my

 children along to share.  We had a good relationship, we didn't always agree, but she was

always there for us.  She raised my sister and I as a single parent and had much insight to

offer me. I, too, raised my son and daughter without their fathers' assistance.

She was a wonderful role model for me all my life and in her last year here with us,

I drew from her strength and courage many times.  Toward the end of her time, I pulled

from that bank of feelings to keep up the care she needed.  She'd always been very

independent and the roles we'd always played switched places, I became the caregiver.

I strove to live up to the level of care she'd always given us.  There were times I succeeded

and times I didn't, but I never stopped trying.  Even in death, as in life, I know I grew up to

be a better person because of that last year with her.  She never stopped teaching me about

love and life.  I still miss her sorely, 25 years later, but I treasure the memories of that last

year.