I cry from the fear of bad things that might come to pass.
I cry from the hurts I feel right now… and sometimes even from things that have hurt before.
But I can also cry when beautiful things touch me and make me see the wonderful and good in this world.
Those tears are so much sweeter…
My Mother has always been my rock. She taught me right from wrong, she built the foundation for my moral code, and she taught me what unconditional love is. She showed me what it means to be a mother… and set an example for the kind of person I try to be.
She’s always been wonderful to me.
I speak as a daughter though… don’t we all love our mothers and think they’re the best?
But I know her also as a woman… I see her not only through the filtered glass of a parent/child relationship, but also through the veil of friendship. She’s been my teacher, my mentor, my partner and my guide.
She’s a rare sort of woman… probably one of the few who’s walked through life always careful and aware of the hearts of those she brushes against, or with, or past. She’s a natural leader (which she may or may not deny) but she’s often found herself in leadership roles… people gravitate towards her and give her their trust. It’s because of her gift with people. She makes friends… never enemies.
I’m sure she doesn’t realize how exceptional her way of being is; for her it’s just how one is or should be. I guarantee she’s one of those women who have no concept of their true beauty and how it graces everyone around them.
She loves people. She’s given of herself without reserve for as long as I’ve been aware of what that means. To her family, to her friends… within her community and beyond it in what ways she can. She’s the type of person that people go to… and without exception, she’s given more than she ever asks in return.
That’s why the situation she finds herself in now brings those sweet tears to my eyes.
My mother isn’t well. She’s battling cancer and it’s left her weak enough that she needs to rely on help from others.
I can’t imagine that’s a comfortable position to be in for anyone, let alone a woman like her.
My Dad takes care of her. He’s an exceptional man in his own right… and when they got the news, he simply told his employer that he wouldn’t be back. Now they’re home together all the time… but not alone.
Every day, people from their community… friends, neighbours - even those they haven’t known that well are stopping by. Not to presume upon them to visit or be hosted, but only to drop things off… some treats in a Tupperware dish, a meal they don’t have to cook.
All these people that they’ve touched are showing their support in a very real way. It’s not just once in a while either: Every single day someone brings food… it almost seems like it must be organized. They never know what they’ll be having for supper on any given day, but without fail, someone brings something by.
(My poor Dad has had to make a spreadsheet to keep track of who all the dishes belong to so he can see them returned to their homes! Then again, my Dad has an affinity for spreadsheets so maybe this is a fun little exercise for him on the side, sans “official” work, lol)
The emails, the phone calls, the visits… the food deliveries and the show of support is over-whelming to them… because I don’t think they can see what they’ve done to deserve it.
Hearing about it makes me cry… the good tears this time though. I wish I could say thank you to all the people… I want to thank them for showing her, in such a real and tangible way, just how amazing she is and how many people recognize it.
It touches ME to know that all of these people see what I see and know what an special kind of woman she is... even if she’ll never really understand it herself.
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