I thought that the devastating flood we suffered in our basement at the start of September was as bad as things get right now.

I was very, very wrong.

My beloved mother just passed away this past week, quite suddenly. But I believe she was actually dealing with health issues that were worse than what she admitted to anyone, so maybe not so sudden after all. She was only 66 and basically a lifelong smoker, so it was her heart. We have pieced together was probably diagnosed with something recently that she didn’t disclose to me or her siblings. It’s a long story, but this totally fit her personality. We were close, but she was fiercely independent and also secretive in some ways. She also refused repeated offers of various types of help over the years.

She was my best friend and raised me to be independent and confident. As a woman especially, I believe that’s a huge gift to have had when I went out in the world. She had me educated well at the expense of her own hard work and her physical well-being as a waitress. I have a good life now because of everything she sacrificed. She’s also one of the funniest people you could’ve ever hoped to meet, and never put on any false faces or pretenses with people. I’ll miss her always.