Showing posts with the tag “Mothers And Daughters”

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• March 1, 2025
  1Mar2025

  We Loved You Lorna

  

  My mom passed away recently. I've written about Lorna over the years, and some of my readers have met her. She lived a long and happy life. At 99, she was planning to make it to 100. 

  She didn't want to leave us. She was a mother. She identified with and valued that role above all the others in her long life, and she worried a lot about her five children. At the end we convinced her, I think, that she had done a wonderful job--raising us, modeling love throughout her life, and teaching us how to love and care for each other. We told her we would do that, and now she could rest. She heard us....

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• October 25, 2016
  25Oct2016

  No Regrets: Mothers, Daughters and Families

  

  As I've written previously, I'm quite privileged at present to be part of a family support team for my mother, Lorna, who lives in Naperville, Illinois. At 91, she is an inspiration to her five children, her friends, caregivers, and the managers of the supportive living community in Naperville that she's about to make her new home.

  Since May, when she took a fall in her kitchen, we've all been growing more aware that, while she's completely able in mind, body and spirit, it might be a good idea for Mom to exchange condo living for community living. There have been decisions to make, family conferences, and open, honest dialogue along the way. There has been conflict, too--each one an opportunity to widen our perspectives about what is best for our mother. And I'm grateful for how we're figuring it out together.

  Back in the spring when Mom was recovering her strength after the fall, the situation was more difficult. At the time, I thought a great deal about what was most important when making decisions that affected Mom and all of us, financially and emotionally. And I came up with three directives that I continually refer to whenever a decision has to be made....

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• July 19, 2016
  19Jul2016

  Mindfulness and Ki Moments

  

  My 90-year-old mother is a positive force in my life. She lives independently, walks up to a mile most days, just passed her driver’s exam again this year, and is one of those people who makes you feel better just being in her presence.

  She took a fall in her kitchen recently and hit the ground pretty hard. Luckily nothing was broken, but her body, her confidence and her spirit of independence were badly bruised. 

  Much of my writing is about life’s ki (key) moments—moments of mindfulness in which you are fully aware of your life energy and your ability to influence your environment. Ki moments hold challenge and opportunity. How you handle them is what makes life interesting and powerful. This experience with my mom and her temporary loss of independence gave me a new perspective on life's ki moments...

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