Hour long phone conversations...

That's what makes my world go round right now.  I love the fact that even though I just spoke with my Mom on Sunday for 30 minutes, and on Monday I called her this evening and we talked for 59 cherishing minutes...about nothing and about everything.  About the weather and the sky and the way I parent my children.  About life and counting blessings, and her grandchildren, and death.  About renewing her driver's license, grocery shopping, doing chores for her husband, and her dog.  About her wanting to give my oldest son a gift, being soo very very tired she can barely hold her eyes open at fifteen minutes until eight, and breakthrough pain that required extra pain medication.  And about the 'shoulder shawl' she received from Hospice yesterday with a prayer attached...it was in Kansas City Chiefs colors, her favorite football team.  A woman that had lost her daughter to a form of cancer makes these shoulder shawls for Hospice cancer patients and I could tell my Mother would forever hold it near and dear to her heart.  As she was reading the prayer to me that was attached to the shawl, I could literally hear the tears swelling in her eyes, her voice cracking with emotion, and by the time she reached the end of the prayer...full on crying.  I paused for the first time during that 59 minute conversation and said "Can I ask you a question, Mom?  Why are you crying?  Are you crying because you are sad or are you crying for some other reason?"  Her response was purely perfect.  She said "I am crying because I am grateful."  I sighed a rather large sigh (loud enough to be heard over the phone) of relief.  I told her "Ya know, when YOU are the way you are it is very easy for people to do nice things for you.  You are a loving, talented, independent, strong willed, BADASS Mom that has endured the worst that life has to offer.  You would move Heaven and Earth for any of your family members, and you pretty much have moved Heaven and Earth already just by being you."  I reaffirmed to her the amazing life she has led for herself and what she has accomplished.  I gave her ALL the credit for raising me the way she did, and in turn helping me to raise my own three children to be confident, polite, independent souls.  It's what she does and what she will do and what she did that makes me who I am today.  And a very tiny part of that is the wisdom I gain from those 59 minutes of pure bliss chatting on the phone with her.

It has been a few days of ups and downs with her being soo incredibly sleepy and nodding off all day long.  The pain is minimal and breaks through in late afternoon, but thankfully being handled at home.  So the update on her is not bad and it's not perfect, but it is her 'today' and tomorrow could be totally different.  Right now her biggest complaint is the constant lethargy....unfortunately that will probably not go away.  Today is another day 'in the books' and we are looking forward to a productive and lovely tomorrow <3