Thinking Of My Mom

I’ve had some time to reflect on losing my mom since everything happened, both personally and overall. I read a book on it called “Dealing with the Loss of Your Mother” by Elaine Mallon. I’ve also been writing about it in my personal journal, talking to others, and reflecting a lot. A few things stand out.

First, my mom worked hard in her life, suffered and went without at times, and to have it end like this for her just six months before she retired is beyond belief. Which begs to ask, am I taking good enough care of my health? I see my doctor every year now and get the tests, if something seems weird I bring it up. I saw a dentist for the first time in at least a decade and got some major work done on my teeth. If there’s one thing that became crystal clear through my mom’s experience, it’s that hospitalization should be a last resort. If it gets to that point you are rolling the dice for your life. Staffing issues, doctors not knowing the complications, all of those come into play. Prevention is therefore absolutely key. If something doesn’t seem right, see the doctor and talk about it. Eat right, don’t smoke, drink sparingly.

Secondly I want to put my family on solid financial footing. I plan on working past 65 given that I am older and my sons are so young, but I don’t want to work that much longer. My plan is to pay for the majority of their college so they start off without any debt related limitations. I also don’t want to die and leave them in the lurch like my father’s passing did. The house getting paid off is highest priority right now and probably well within grasp. At least if something happens to me they will have a place to live.

Lastly, I am a firm believer in relationship building. Many people I’ve not seen in years reached out to me when my mother passed and that meant a lot to me. You do remember the people in these instances that cared enough to send a card, call, visit, or text. All of my friends did and that’s huge to me. I want them to know how much I appreciate it. I also saw a lot of family members and that means a lot to me, as well as Church family members. I have a lot of great people in my life and that makes me very happy.