I recently finished reading My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Piccoult. Tonight I saw a trailer for the movie version of it - I had no idea it had been made into a movie. I'll be seeing this for sure.
About a sister who was essentially conceived to provide stem cells (from her cord blood) for her older sister diagnosed with leukemia and now, at age 13, wants to declare medical emancipation from her parents, this book touched me in so many ways. It is told from many different points of view, the dying sister, the mother, of course the younger sister, the lawyer, the father, the delinquent older brother, etc. I felt like I could relate to each character...I ached for all of them. It was so so heartwrenching but very thought-provoking. And throughout the book were so many passages that I kept thinking about. Here is one of them (after the mother finds out that her 2 year old has leukemia):
I have known her only for two years. But if you took every memory, every moment, if you stretched them end to end - they'd reach forever.
I knew EXACTLY what the author meant. Ryan is 12, Emma is 5. I've been alive for almost 39 years so really, 12 years is barely a third of that time. But my goodness, those 12 years that I've been a mother feel like EVERYTHING. My memories of my children, all the funny times, the sad times, the tough times...they truly would reach forever, I'm sure of it.
This is why I cannot be one of those scrapbookers who is ever "caught up." I don't want to be caught up. I have so many things that I want to say to my children...to THEIR children. There are so many memories I want them to have, so many moments that cracked me up, that taught me something...
Anyway, with all that being said, I had a nice Mother's Day. Em and I were flying solo once again as Ryan had a tournament in Houston, and she has no business being around the ball field right now. She's still wheezing - which is not good, ugh. BUT...she's been a lot perkier as you can see:
Silly girl.
And I have to admit that one of my favorite things about having a little girl is getting to dress them in so many fun clothes. We recently had a few...okay, a lot of Gymbucks to spend and this is one of the outfits I purchased for her:
Okay, I know I'm biased, but isn't she beautiful? Even when she's pretending to be a horse as she is in the picture where she's running. She and her cousins were playing a game they made up called, so appropriately, Horse. :) Of course, all that running caused more of this:
We had yummy barbecued steaks and chicken, potato salad, a spring mix salad, watermelon, canteloupe and strawberries, and Emma and I baked an orange-flavored cake that was declared delicious by all. Afterwards, we took some family photos as there are never enough pictures of the kids with their grandparents, are there? Here is my mom with the younger set of grandchildren.
And my grandmother (whom the kids call 'Buelita) with the kiddos:
I sent Roland with my point-and-shoot camera so he could snap a few pics of Ryan this weekend. They were very excited as they were playing at the Big League Dreams field in League City. It is supposed to be a fancy schmancy field, but Roland said they were a bit disappointed as it was not in the best of shape. It still looks pretty cool I think.
(with his teammates, Adrian and Cameron)
Wish we could have been there or they could have been here. We celebrated on Friday night however so that was nice.
And because it is Mother's Day still as I write this, I want to show a layout that I originally created a couple of years ago about my mother. Recently, I updated the look by recreating this in digi format. Full credits can be found here.
And should you be curious about the journaling, here it is
She is a Mother:
In 1965, she gave birth to her first child, and her life was never the
same again. Now, more than 40 years later, she continues to be as
devoted a mother to her 3 children as she was when we were infants.
Giving us room to grow, she has been there to guide us when we have
lost our way. I know I wouldn’t be the mother that I am today without
the example she has set before me. Selfless without being a matyr,
generous without expecting anything in return, she is a mother, MY
mother, and I love her.
She is Brave:
I have seen my mother evolve into one of the bravest women I know. No,
she doesn’t fight fires or train wild animals (well, she does watch the
grandkids on most days), but she is brave in little ways - like asking
for a refund when she gets bad service at a restaurant or dealing with
contractors to fix her house or confronting her loved ones when she
knows they are doing something wrong. She gives me courage to stand up
for myself time and again. She is brave, and I love her.
She is a Daughter:
For as long as I can remember, my grandmother has lived with my mom. In
the past 15 years, my grandmother’s health has declined. Though my
aunts and uncles do small things for her, my mom is the one shuttling
her back and forth to doctor’s appointments, the one who keeps track of
her multitude of medications, the one who stays up with her when she
has vertigo, the one who makes sure she eats well and dresses nicely.
She is an example of what a daughter should be, and I love her for it.
She is a Survivor:
On June 26, 1995, my father died suddenly and unexpectedly. For the
first time in more than 30 years, my mother was alone. Though my
sister, brother and I helped in the ways we could, my mother proved she
was made of “tough stuff” as she dealt with finances, insurance
policies, home improvements and more. Since my father had normally
taken care of these things, it was a lot to absorb all at once. But she
survived, and continues to survive by taking one day at a time, and I
love her for it.
She is a Sister:
As the oldest of 4 sisters and 2 brothers, my mom was often looked up
to and made the example to her younger siblings. As they all grew up
and set out on their own, they still kept in close touch. My mom was
(and still is) the sort of home base for all the siblings to check in
with. Maybe it’s partly because their mother lives with my mom, bit I
like to think that it’s because my mom gives sound advice, is always
ready to help, and truly loves them. She is a sister, and I love her.
She is Passionate:
Though I don’t know where she finds the time, my mother is passionate
about gardening. If she has a free moment, you can find her out in the
yard, trimming, weeding, watering, planting or otherwise occupied by
the lawn or flowerbeds. Unfortunately, MY passions lie elsewhere, and I
just get by with the bare minimum of landscaping at my home.
FORTUNATELY, my mother loves gardening so much, she even loves to bring
her green thumb over to MY house! She is passionate, and I love her.
She is a Grandma:
My mother is a grandmother to 5 kids, ranging in age from 4 to 20.
Currently, she watches the youngest 2 after school and 4 of them most
days in the summer. With an energy and patience that I envy, she
manages to fill the time they spend with her with fun, learning and
lots of love. My brother, sister, and I know what a wonderful gift
we’ve been given to have our mother play such a integral role in our
children’s development. I know that she loves my children like her own.
She is a grandmother, and I love her for it.
She is Blessed:
It’s always easy to look at what you don’t have, but my mother never
fails to appreciate her many gifts. Maybe that’s why she shares them so
freely. I think of the book “I Love You Forever” by Robert Munsch and
am reminded of my mother always being there for me as a kid, and even
now, as an adult. She has so many people that love her; she will never
be without help, without a home, without hugs, kisses, and smiles. She
is blessed because she is such a blessing to so many people. I love
you, Mom.
And I do so love her. :)
Happy Mother's Day to any moms out there reading this. :)
