Freedom for a friend

My mom’s best friend made her transition yesterday. Not only were they close, she was like a second mother to me for much of my life. When Kennedy was assassinated and my folks were out of town, it was she who picked me up at school, took me to her house, and helped me cope. When I experienced my "time of the month" for the very first time, with my parents away on a trip, it was she who nurtured me through my passage. When I was an adult, struggling to understand the events and influences that shaped who I was, it was she who lovingly gave me the objective perspective on my upbringing. Some of my most important lessons were the simple ones she taught just by being there. And there was the power of her example.

She was a strong Southern woman: a crusader for the downtrodden, a voice for the voiceless, a political groundbreaker, and civil rights and community activist. She was a tireless volunteer for the many causes she championed, and one of the most open-minded, open-hearted people I have ever known. She was a deeply spiritual person, always willing to try on new ideas and different ways of seeing things. I think she would have liked Recreating Eden. I know she would have been proud of me for writing it. We had many conversations about my purpose in the world, and though I don’t know that she completely comprehended what I was about (even I didn’t until fairly recently), she told me that whatever I did, no matter how insignificant it might seem, was important, and that I was special just for being. Those are powerful messages to give to a young woman.

She had a cerebral hemorrhage a number of years ago and never fully recovered. Her mind never functioned the same and she was never able to live independently again. I guess it was her turn to receive from others. But just because she needed a lot of help didn’t mean she wasn’t contributing still. I’ll always remember the time I visited her in the convalescent home where she stayed when she was first out of the hospital after the hemorrhage. As I made my way to her wing, before she saw me coming, I spotted her a ways down the hall, sitting in a wheelchair, talking to someone. As I approached, I heard her sharing words of encouragement—doing her best to cheer up a fellow patient. She didn't even know where she was, yet she was trying to help someone else! And as sad as I was that her mental faculties were diminished and that much of her life as she had lived it was over, I knew then that the essential being was still in that body. She’s left it now, and I’m sad for the loss. However I’m also joyous that she is completely free again, and I’m absolutely positive she’s going to be very busy in the next world, doing her thing. My mom is in the hospital at the moment, in a lot of pain from a spinal disk fracture, and I would not be a bit surprised if she has a little extra help from the spirit realm in the coming days.

See you later, Mom #2.