A Mother and A Daughter

I took a nap in the middle of the morning today
After making French toast for Dahlia, Dave and me
(Because no one in our house makes French toast like I do).
I got into bed, closed my eyes, and I thought about Tikva.
And I thought about Ann.
A mother and a daughter who are no longer with us in this physical plane.
I thought about what this Mother's Day must be like for Ann's husband and daughter,
Who turned 7 the day before her mother died.
I hope they felt my love.

I did not know Ann.
She and her family are friends of a good friend of mine.
I am grateful to this dear friend for sharing Ann and her family with me.
A few days ago she sent me a clip from a news special from last fall about cystic fibrosis.
It was about Ann, and I was able to see her sweet face and beautiful family.

This is Ann.
Can you see the sweetness and the courage?
For all of you who have held her in your hearts,
This woman you did not know personally,
I thought you might want to see the beauty and strength of her heart in her eyes.
Thank you for holding her in your prayers.

It is important to honor a life,
No matter how short.
It means a lot to me that this woman lived,
That she loved and was loved, continues to be loved,
That she will be so deeply missed.
It means a lot to me that she touched hearts,
Hearts even of those who did not know her.

In the past week,
I learned that Ann was living her final days.
I learned that she died.
I learned that someone very special to me is pregnant.
I learned that a good friend has lymphoma.
I learned that another good friend is engaged to be married.

I am starting to understand that this is how it is
And always will be...
They exist together, the dark and the light,
The sorrows and the blessings,
The arrivals and the departures.

Sometime mid-week, my friend who is friends with Ann and her family told me something that gives me great hope...
Faith in people, in humanity, in the power of hope, in the power of love.
She told me that when Ann and Jason met, both knew that one day - who knew when - she would die,
And that it would be difficult.
And yet they still chose to love each other, to marry, to make a family.
They lived and loved deeply, for all the time they would have.
Unconditionally.
This gives me hope.
I guess it is the same thing that gave me hope when Tikva was coming, when she came, when she went:

That we still choose to love,
Even without knowing how much time we will have,
Or if we will ever get back all the love that we give.

To honor Tikva,
To honor Ann,
Keep loving deeply, completely...
Because we just don't know how much time we're going to get to love.
All we have is now.

Happy Mother's Day to all the very special mothers out there,
Whether your children are in your arms,
Grown up and out of the house,
Or brushing your face gently in the air that you breathe.