Happy Belated Birthday Mommy!

On April 9, 2011, my mother died from congestive heart failure and upper lip cancer. On February 16, 2012, she would have been 68 years old. This blog entry is dedicated to her.

My mother used to tell me how she hated her name. She thought it was boring. Her full maiden name was Dorothy Lee Ray and I always told her it sounded like an actress’ name. She would laugh and tell me she didn’t start to like it until she discovered Dorothy Dandridge. My mom was just as beautiful as Dorothy Dandridge. My mom had such a youthful appearance that up until she got sick, people always thought we were sisters. Depending on the day, people sometimes thought I was the older sister!

My mom told the best stories too. And the way she told stories, she was so dramatic and everything she said she had a way of bringing to life. She had this infectious laugh that if you heard from another room you couldn’t help but laugh too. She would always say stuff like “you know I just like to make people laugh” and then do this crazy sneeze that sounds like she was screaming “I hate you!” Even though that wasn’t what she was saying, it was funny and she knew it.

My mom touched everyone that had the pleasure of knowing her. She was one of a kind and the world is much sadder place without her here. I miss her more than I ever thought I could miss someone. I always thought my mom would live forever because she never changed. She never seemed to age. When she got sick, I went into denial and just assumed she would get better. When she was put into hospice care, I was still in denial. They predicted she would live for 6 more months. I was lucky enough to have her for 8 months. When she died I was relieved for her. She wasn’t in anymore pain and I knew that she was in heaven, doing her crazy jumping jacks and playing with my sister. But I still wish she were here, with me, my husband, and our kids. We all miss her and love her very much.

Happy Birthday Mommy!