Moms, Nurses, and The Circle Of Life

This blog post may go around in circles a bit so I hope you'll bear with me.  First I want to acknowledge all of you healthcare professionals who have very demanding, important jobs.  It's National Nurses Day so I hope you know how much you mean to everyone you interact with.

I'll never forget being at Community Medical Center when my parents were sick.  The nurses always struck that good balance of being tough yet compassionate.  They deal with such sadness and anxiety every single day yet we family members often look to them for some words of comfort and advice and sometimes just a smile.  Thank you, nurses!

Now that my parents are gone, Mother's Day is a bummer.  If you've lost your Mom, too, you know how hard it can be to see all the commercials for flowers and jewelry.  We see ads with everyone smiling.  Images of happy, intact families remind me that I won't have any more of those scenes with my own mother and father.

If you're still struggling with grief, whether your mother passed recently or years ago, please remember it's normal and you are not alone.  There are many of us who will be a bit sad on Sunday.  But also remember there are some things we can do to make the day less of a drag.  We can plant something in memory of Mom.  We can pull out old photos and enjoy the memories.  We can tell stories.  We can visit the cemetery, or even a park or beach, anywhere that feels like a good place to think about and "talk" to Mom.

During this past week, two friends just happened to have babies!  I'm so happy for them. It's a great reminder of the Circle of Life.

If you've lost your Mom or you live far away, what do you on Mother's Day?