I never wanted to have to write this post.

And I’m struggling to do so now.

It was the first cloudless, bright sunny day after nearly a week of rain.

It was also the day my mom took her last breath.

Paradoxical as it may sound, it was still a beautiful day.

In a strange way.

Because it meant my mom was no longer in pain.

No longer spending every waking moment in agony.

No more excruciating daily struggles.

No more endless doctor appointments.

No more countless scans and blood work.

No more urgent trips to the hospital.

No more useless pills to try to mask the pain.

She is finally at peace.

Finally free of cancer.

Once and for all.

My heart aches with sadness.

But her suffering is over, and that’s what truly matters.

She is a survivor of war.

A recipient of miracles.

And the strongest, most determined, bravest person I had ever had the honor of knowing.

On December 10, 2018, heaven gained a new angel.

This is not the ending to the story that we’d hoped for.

But, in my heart, I know it isn’t truly “the end”.

Because love lives forever.

Hope lives on.

And nothing can ever take that away.

We Get Only Today
By Souad “Sue” Battista
(a.k.a. Tink the Belle)
From Playing by My Own Rules

I

won’t run away from  a challenge

I

Will move towards it

I

Will not let fear blind me

I

Will Face it

I

Will not hide from the truth

I

Will Learn from it

I

Search in the darkness

I

Seek the light

I

Won’t see an end

I

Find a new beginning

I

Will not turn away from myself

But

Back to myself

~I’ve got a lot of catching up to do, with blogging and life as a whole. My posts will likely be sporadic for a while until everything settles, but I’d like to take a moment to thank you all for your kindness and support, and to wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, in case I’m not up to speed before then.~