Memories

I had in my opinion the best mother in the world..She was a tough little lady but at the same time one of the most loving and kind hearted person you would ever come across..

My mom came to this country in 1969 a year after my dad had come to the states to get his self situated with a job and a place to live before my mom would join him..I was left in the care of my moms older sister back home in Guyana.

My parents came back to Guyana in 1972 to bring me to my new home in New York..With them was my younger sister..Where the heck did she come from..When mommy left home she was by herself, now she comes back with this stranger..WOW, was I susrprised..

I did not like my new home..It was cold and the people were not nice..The kids made fun of my accent and the way I dressed..My mother always tried to make things better but it seemed as though nothing was ever going to be right ever again in my little world..

I slowly got used to being in the strange new land called America..My mother made sure of that..She made the dishes I loved to eat..She took us on outings to the museums and the zoo and to the movies..We did'nt have these things back home..

My brother came along in 1973..A few years after his birth my mom was diagnosed with sarcoidosis..She became very ill and was hospitalized for 6 months..My dad took care of my siblings and I with the help of family friends..My mom finally came home, but she was not the same..She lost a tremendous amount of weight and had no energy..

Thanks to medication and proper rest she was able to get back to herself..She was doing so well that she decided to go back to school..She enrolled in City College of New York in the schools nursing program..My mom was so brilliant that she graduated 2nd in her class..

She went on to work at a private hospital in the Bronx not too far from where she and my dad lived..She loved her chosen career and her patients loved her..

In 1991 she became ill again..The sarcoidosis was back in full swing..Medication was not helping her this go around..

I lost my mom to her illness on December 8, 1991..That in my opinion was the worst day of my life..I was inconsolable..How could this happen..My mother was always so strong so vibrant..Nothing ever shook her foundation..She lived and loved for her husband and children..She was smart, courageous and loving and  she groomed her kids to be the same..

I now have three children of my own just like my mom..If I could be half the woman that she was I know life would be good..

There are times when I sit and wonder what life would be like if my mom was still here with us..Then I get out of my selfish mode and thank God for the time I had with her..I cry and then I smile and then I cry some more..

Thank you heavenly father for the special people you bring into our lives and for the joy and love that they bring...