Motherless Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day can be a loaded holiday for those of us without moms. On this day every year, I am extra aware of not having had a mom for a really long time.
She was 48 and I was 23 when she died. She was 26 when I was born. I’ve had 36 Mother’s Days without her. For 29 of these years I’ve been a mother myself.
I looked at my 23-year-old son recently and had an epiphany, saying, “I was exactly your age when my mom died. Can you imagine?” (Wow, way to be a downer.)
He responded with a hug, and said, “I’d be lost without you, Mom.” My choice to be vegan, to exercise — really, to do everything I can to be healthy — is in part simply so my kids get to have (healthy) me around for as long as possible.
I see my friends beginning to lose parents who are in their 80s and 90s. I know it’s still hard and very sad — but I think to myself…
