Kindness & Karma
Each month the editors will solicit responses from our readers to questions that embrace unexpected inspiration. Only those responses with first/last names and state will be posted. Editors reserve the right to edit for content and word count.
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AUGUST '16: |
The editors want to know....
With the end of summer approaching...we are in the mood to reflect. Tell us a story about a woman in your life (friend, relative, colleague, etc.) who has empowered you - given you strength or courage - to do something you wouldn't have done without her support and encouragement.
Reader responses...
While I sit at the kitchen table with Mom, I look at her blank stare – the expression that has come with the late stages of Alzheimer's disease. It is during these times, when I sit there in the silence, that I remember Mom’s gregarious nature and the diverse facets of her personality. She was the woman who gave me life – my caretaker, nurse, nurturer and homework helper. As an only child, I was lacking the companionship of a sister, but Mom came to my rescue and was my biggest supporter and cheerleader. She often told me, “The only thing you can do is try, and if it doesn't happen, then it was not meant to be.” She gave me the "tough love" that I needed when things were not so great to hear or sometimes downright ugly. As the years went by, she became a "friend" - listening to my unedited tales of woe, complete with rivers of tears. She was my advocate when she truly believed I could accomplish a goal. She would say, "I knew you could do it....you're like me...you're a fighter.”
So today, when I sit with her in silence, I take advantage of remembering all that she has done for me. During these past five years, as Alzheimer's has slowly taken over, I have become an even stronger person. Mom helped instill tenacity and perseverance in me. I get to turn it all around now. I have become her nurturer, her cheerleader, her friend, and the one thing that I am proudest of all to be - her daughter. We were there to lead each other on this journey called Life. I could not have selected a more appropriate companion. ~ Kate Rishoff - FL
So today, when I sit with her in silence, I take advantage of remembering all that she has done for me. During these past five years, as Alzheimer's has slowly taken over, I have become an even stronger person. Mom helped instill tenacity and perseverance in me. I get to turn it all around now. I have become her nurturer, her cheerleader, her friend, and the one thing that I am proudest of all to be - her daughter. We were there to lead each other on this journey called Life. I could not have selected a more appropriate companion. ~ Kate Rishoff - FL
