Half Dozen Roses

There is an elephant in the room, and I push it out of my way anytime I post on this blog. I think today is a good day to finally address it.

Many of you know, but many of you do not know that my mother-in-law passed away in January from a very long, and hard battle with cancer.

I'm not exactly sure when she was diagnosed, because the sneaky lady kept it from Mike and I for awhile-we were in the middle of planning our wedding, and she didn't want to get in the way of our celebration. For those of you that didn't know Patricia, this was very much like her. She was incredibly self-sacrificing. Everything she was and did revolved around her boys-their happiness, their well being, their success. I would like to think that she was receiving treatment during this time, but I wouldn't be surprised if she had delayed chemo as well.

When I think about what Patricia meant to me, I get stuck. There just aren't enough words. I loved her. I admired her. She was so strong, and so faithful. She was full of wisdom and hope. Most of all, she was full of love. She inspired me to be a better mother, a better wife and a better person.

One thing that really stays with me about my mother-in-law, is that she was Mom first, and Patty second. Even when she was sick from chemo, her family came first. She suffered for us. She worked, even though she was tired and in pain, she cooked, even though she couldn't’t taste the food, and cleaned, she went to football games, and band concerts. She took her family on vacations, even Disney world. She hosted for the holidays, and did everything else that Christmas entailed. She traveled for all of the grand kids-birthdays, recitals, and soccer games. My kids knew she was sick, but they didn't know how she suffered. They didn't see how hard she had to fight. I doubt her boys really even knew. You could say that we were spoiled, and it would be true. She did everything she could to say 'yes' instead of 'no'. I really admired this about her, and it is a lesson that I will hold dear to me.

So, this Mother's Day, I will wake ready to enjoy the day my family has prepared for me. Breakfast in bed, presents, hugs and kisses-all meant to remind me of how special I am to my family, how much they need me and how much they love me. As I celebrate my day with my family, I will be thinking of someone very special to me-my mother and my friend, Patty.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom, Nana, Patricia. We love you, and miss you.