Last night I wrote the final chapter, dotted the final i, and crossed the last t. 100 Happy Moments crossed a huge hurdle by reliving the most difficult evening of my life, my family's life- the death of my mother. As I wrote the final words of the book, the final words my father said to my mother, tears poured down my cheeks-at one point I had to stop and compose myself. It felt like I was in the nursing home room again. I thought to myself, "Why am I doing this to myself?" And I remembered my mother's smile, our promise that made her strong to do whatever she needed to do to live, and the happy moments Dad and I created to make every day for her special. And I remembered the importance of letting people know that if you have a loved one who is sick with cancer and you don't know what to do to help her- just give her a happy moment- visit, go to a movie, wear a smile, or give her ice cream.
Last night I posted on Facebook my big accomplishment before I went to bed. It felt good to release this information to my friends and family since they have listened to me and supported me throughout this past year. When I awoke this morning and revisited my profile page, several new Face book friends asked me about the content of the book, what did I write about? My answer is, I wrote about me and my Mom, and a promise she asked me to make with her so she could live out her life with cancer to be the best person she could be, to love her husband of fifty one years and her children. Just me, listening to her fears, worries, dreams, and wishes. I kept that promise and it gave her happy moments beyond belief, and me the gift of a relationship with my mother beyond compare.
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