The Letter M

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Mom.  Momma.  Mother.  Mommy.  Matriarch... No matter what you call her, you know she's the reason you're here.

This may sound cliche', but my mother is my hero.  Don't get me wrong.  She's not perfect!  We quarrel like many moms and daughters, and sometimes she drives me absolutely bonkers.  She's a crazy cat lady, but there are reasons I consider her heroic.

She quit smoking cold turkey - for her health and for her grandkids.  She tried many times and failed, but when she finally made up her mind, she did it... with prayer.

She has beaten cancer, not once, not twice, but three times.  The first was lung cancer.  She had 1/2 of one of her lungs removed.  Then she got breast cancer:  double mastectomy and more chemo.  The third was skin cancer which she had removed.

After her knee replacement surgery, she was knocking on death's door due to a fluctuation in her electrolytes, potassium, and so on, and she slammed it in his face!

And the really amazing part of all this is... it has all happened since my dad died.  It's going on 11 years now, and I don't know how she has the strength to carry on, much less to deal with cancer, chemo, surgery, and still continue to be an active member of the community by tutoring school children (she's a retired teacher), helping out at the food bank, volunteering at the library, and other service projects through her church.

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If I could have half her courage and strength, I could tackle anything life throws at me.
Mom, you're the best!

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