If anyone has been wondering why I haven't written much during the past few months, there is a very good reason. My mother has been very ill and sadly she passed away in August. I flew to her side twice this year and have spent the past three months in Australia, caring for her and then her affairs. It has been a very sad time for me and my family. Her demise is still incredibly shocking to me as my mother was the healthiest person I knew - by far. She didn't drink, smoke, always ate very well, lots of healthy fruits and vegetables and walked a lot. She avoided chemicals, excess sun exposure and medications. She didn't even like to take Panadol for a headache. That's how health conscious she was. So for her to have a tumour in her kidney, then develop a secondary cancer near her stomach is truly shocking for me. People who lead healthy lifestyles don't deserve to get sick. It's not right. I always thought my mother would live well into her 90s, like her aunt. Sadly she only made it to 70.
I'm no stranger to grief and loss, I have experienced it before but pain has a way of lingering until you find a way to deal with it. Having my mother's things around me does provide comfort and I always like to have lots of photos on display. I've made a nice little shrine dedicated to my mother on my window sill. Candles shine bright in her memory.
Losing a mother is a significant event in one's life. It' happened to me much earlier than I expected which is why I feel so overwhelmed and shocked. Christmas will be tough for me this year as will be all future birthdays as our birthdays were a day apart. We shared many bonds and that was just one of them.
