Looking in the Mirror

Have you ever had someone tell you "You sure look like your Mom/Dad?"  I never thought I  looked like my mother, but as the years have passed, I stare in the mirror and see her looking right back at me.  I wish I knew then what I know now about how she must have felt and what she was going through. 

Sixteen years ago today she passed away. 

It seems like a lifetime ago.  So many things have happened.  Milestones in my life that happened without my mom…..seeing my oldest grow up, the birth of my "surprise" second son...and birthday's and anniversaries that I did not get to hear her voice or touch her hand...and those daily phone calls….I miss them.

I remember hearing the shuffle of her slippers in the house, the smell of the cottage cheese she loved to eat (but not anyone else in the house), laughing uncontrollably with her at the silliest things and the smell of her perfume.

You are never the same when you lose a parent.  That loss is never filled.  No matter how close you are to your spouse or in-law, no one can fill that void.  I want to leave a legacy like my mom did.  It wasn't about the tangible things she left, it was about the memories, the laughs, the smells that remind me of her.

I want my children to have the same memories. 

I loved my mother with all of my heart and I miss her everyday.

Today I Am Thankful For:

1.  Old friends stopping by for lunch
2.  The Olympics
3.  Diet Cherry Cokes from SONIC

4.  Magnetic paper clips

5.  French bread pizza