RaVae EricksonI can’t even begin to imagine life without my Mom. She is so strong. She is capable of handling whatever life throws at her-even a broken pelvis and ankle immediately followed by Light Chain Myeloma. Sure, she has her moments. Those times where she cries and cries, those times when she is unsure what the future holds or how much she really wants to fight to get through this whole thing, or even those times when she no longer feels pretty (even though she is and always will be whether she has a full head of hair or a mullet or no hair at all!). But she never gives up that fight. She never lets go completely. She is always hanging on-even if it is to that one single thread. She is an inspiration (to me and to others).
Even in the midst of her own deep struggle she cares about other people…she makes sure to mail that check before she leaves for six weeks. She orders (and delivers!) an item for a friend. She fights with all her might to stay awake just until you leave her side (after all, she doesn’t want to miss one minute of life!). She takes a walk with her son in the hospital so he can have a chance to meet “that cute, nice nurse” even though she knows the nurse is already gone for the day. She writes “thank you” notes to be mailed to people who have taken care of her son while she has been dealing with al of this. She stays up all night to finish a quilt she started months ago so she can give it away. She never dwells on her own situation for too long when there are other people to care about.
This is love.