My Mom Passed Away 10 Years Ago Today

10 years ago today I lost my mom.

I think of my mom all the time. If you've lost someone close to you - you understand. You never stop thinking of them and the grief is there, but it's very subdued. It's just the love that you feel.

I remember the day she died like it was yesterday. I don't think I'll ever forget it. I was going to write something to commemorate the last ten years. But what I wrote the night she passed really was what was in my heart ten years ago...and today.

My mom, Lucy Voornas passed away Saturday, July 26th at 1030pm. She was 79 years old, and one of the nicest people I'll ever know. For being such a genuinely happy person, Mom had a lot of bad luck with her health. It was about 3 years ago that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It's that cancer that eventually took her life.

She was riddled with it. It was in her bones, and marrow, and stomach and lungs....

But my mom never stopped smiling, never stopped being my mom.

I am so grateful that I was in Idaho when Mom fell and broke her leg. She passed less than 48 hours later. I am so grateful that a day before I played the 'Word Jumble' with her, attempted the crossword with her...and just sat with her and shared a cup of coffee and her secondhand smoke.

After mom fell and broke her femur, we had to put her into a nursing home. It was torture watching her in pain and in and out of lucidness. Once she got to the home, they did everything they could to make her comfortable...but she wasn't. Her leg was broken...she was scared. It took almost 24 hours to find the right mix of medicine to make her comfortable.

I was at her side with Dad the whole time. I rubbed her head and told her constantly that I loved her. I held her hand and told her that she was the best mom and that all the other kids were jealous she was MY mom. She couldn't respond...but I know she could hear me.

A hospice nurse told us the time was near. Her breathing had slowed way down. Then the nurse asked Dad...

"How did you two meet?" A good question since my mom and dad had been married for 60 years.

My dad went into the sweetest story about how they met at art school in Chicago. He was sitting in front of Mom goofing around with a buddy. Dad was bitching about his mom (my Yia Yia). That's when mom, from behind him, whacked him on the shoulder and told him that was no way to talk about your mother!

The rest was history. As Dad is telling this story, my eyes are glued to Mom. I could see that she hadn't taken a breath in a while. When Dad was done with his story...mom was gone.

She slipped away very peacefully. And at a perfect moment, it was pure Mom.

Lucy Voornas was one of the kindest, happiest, and sweetest people I knew. I was lucky to call her my mom and I will miss her terribly.

I was right. I do miss her. But the gratitude that she was my mom outweighs the loss. Here's to Mom!