Happy Mothers Day

Sorry but I must…

I must put the feelings that I have for my Mama “on blast” because the world needs to know. This may sound like bragging, because it is. Lend me your ears…

My Mom is the best Mom in the entire world. She is actually the 2015 recipient of the “Best Mom in the World” award as voted on by every one, ever. This has been clear to me since the day that I started growing in her womb, but this past year has made it blindingly obvious to all. As I have mentioned in previous posts, the day Dave announced his stupid presence, my mom announced hers as well. My shield. She was my obvious first call. I said, “Hey mom, I have a ‘mass’ in my head,” and she calmly replied “ok, we will do whatever we need to do.” And that was it. She packed her necessities and far too much food and moved onto our lumpy couch in New York.

           

Of course, upon stage four cancer diagnosis, I decided we needed a puppy, Winnie Grace Reap. My mom has been just as much of a “Dee Dee” to Winnie has she has to her other seven grandchildren since day one. Large amounts of steroids and headaches kept me up most nights in the first couple months. My Mom slept with Winnie every night, and continues to, to make sure she is well cared for and that I can sleep. She still makes me feel like Winnie’s Mommy some how but we all know who Winnie favors. She can’t not. I watch my mom stand up off that lumpy couch and limp around for a little while in the mornings because it most certainly is not comfortable but she has never once complained. She occasionally has the luxury of napping in my bed.

               

She makes a full dinner for Kyle, Winnie and I every night. I am talking a roast, pasta or whatever our hearts’ desire. She then attempts to clean it all up if we don’t make it in the kitchen fast enough. Also, she still saves the last bite of her delicious meal if she thinks I might like it no matter where we are. It happened Friday at lunch…

Depending on the week, we make our way to chemo where she sits on a hard “visitors” chair while I have a recliner. These sessions can range from 2-9 hours and can go numerous days in a row. Thankfully she has a thing for celebrity gossip and doesn’t seem to be getting bored with it anytime soon. She has missed important doctor’s appointments of her own but she has never missed anything of mine, not one. She is my right hand lady at every single metting and that nursing background doesn’t hurt! I got an Ace in my corner. She also admitted to wanting to tousle my doctor’s hair the other day and never ceases to make me laugh.

The many times that I have had to be hospitalized, you guessed it, there she is. On those nights, she slept on a pull out single recliner chair. Most of us wouldn’t be able to put up with this for more than a night, she has done it for 10 nights in a row. Some serious physical discomfort while trying to keep me sane, upbeat, and laughing. She is rarely ever unsuccessful. I have only seen her cry once in front of me yet she has dried every one of my tears.

More recently, as I have been feeling better, I have been asking her to stay in PA with the love of her life, my Dad, and the other love of her life, her boxer, Ruby. I know she is happy to be home and have some sense of normalcy but her heart is always with me. If I even hint at being “bored’ (quite the complaint when I can say I am alive) she threatens to get one the first Martz Trailways bus to NYC.

She plans my bridal shower and my wedding pretty much daily and ALWAYS with a giddy little smile. Most of the time it overwhelms me, but not my Mom. She can literally throw a party for 300 with 10 minutes notice and everyone would leave raving about the food. I think she is magic. I am so excited that she is my “mother of the bride” and know these will be some of our happiest times.

As I mentioned, I occasionally have trouble sleeping and somehow she always seems to “know“ when I am awake. She tells me to wake her but I just can’t, that couch looks too comfortable. She deals with my occasional annoyed 16 yr old whine voice and responds in a calm, diplomatic, and motherly way to my stupid comments even when I know I might hurt her.

She is not only the mother that I aspire to be, she is the PERSON that I aspire to be. My Mom and my Dad are the two most selfless and generous people that have ever walked this earth. This is a fact. I got her a Mother’s Day gift this year, which is lovely, but I would literally have to build Rome, a couple pyramids, swim across the Atlantic, climb Everest, learn Greek, do about 30 million Iron mans and right every wrong in the world to express how grateful, thankful and lucky I feel to have my Mom as my Mom. I plan to spend the rest of my long, healthy life doing so. I will have that life because of her. I am ecstatic to try to repay all of this love, which I know if impossible but I will try my hardest.

We can all learn from my Mama. She is truly a gift. She is a mother to her children, her friends, my friends, and any random child, person or animal that needs a mother figure. She does this without hesitation and with a heart 100% full of love.

       

I know she will “yell” at me and be embarrassed for writing this. But like I said… the world needs to know.

Love you forever, Kate