In our house, everyday is Mother’s Day, everyday is a birthday celebration, every day we wake up and start anew. We tell each other we love one another. We kiss and hug, even in public. We breathe a sigh of relief.
You see, in October, my 22-year-old son was diagnosed with a brain tumor. An inoperable brain tumor, due to its location. Cancer. Words nobody ever wants to hear, let alone a parent.
Six months of surgeries, chemo, and radiation, and thankfully he will be one of the lucky ones. A survivor. What the long-term side effects of all the trauma will be are still to be seen, but he’s doing extremely well.
How will we celebrate Mother’s Day? The same way we celebrate every day. I will call my mom at 8 a.m. to tell her we’re okay and that I love her (I’ll call her again at 8 p.m. to tell her the same thing). My son will tell me multiple times during the day that he loves me, and that I will never know how much. And I will tell him that I love him more. Since it’s the weekend, we’ll try to get in a half day of fishing out of Captree. We’ll treasure all the moments we have together since we came so close to never having them again.
So please call your mother and tell her you love her. And look at your children and tell them they’re loved. Life is short. Make the most of every day.
