The Greatest Gift

I thought my trip home would be a tonic for the unease I felt. I was nervous for reasons I do not know. Why was I nervous? I was going to visit my favorite spots and eat the foods I missed.  Above all, I was going to see Mum.
Things don’t always go as we plan. I did not walk Central Park. I did not visit the Guggenheim. I did not set foot inside Laduree and I did not get a bite of totones rellenos at my favorite Cuban restaurant.
I instead said a final goodbye to my mum. I said in my last post that I felt I was on the verge of change. I can not believe how on point I was. It was all so unexpected and yet all I can say is how thankful I am.
I was given the greatest gift.
I was back home in NYC. I was where I needed to be when my mother departed. It was all so quiet and so peaceful.
She lived a life full of grace, power, joy, determination, faith and charity.
She is my personal blueprint of how a life is to be lived.
She will eternally be the greatest gift of my life.



Mum in 1960