Perhaps it is the weather, rain and overcast skies. Maybe it is the excitement of creating. Either way, I miss being able to email or call my mother to simply talk. She was someone I could discuss things with and not fear judgement or scrutiny. She allowed me to be me encouraging wise choices. She also knew what it was like to live with chronic physical pain.

Today, I awoke to the pain associated with arthritis. On these days, I could call my mom and say, “I’m hurting today.”

Her reply? “It’s tough living with Arthur Itis.”

I smile just typing the words.

A couple of days ago I talked with a man who recently lost both his wife of almost 30 years and his mother in the span of a month. We were sharing our thoughts and he mentioned that he lost the two people he could talk with about what was going on. “I’d talk with my mom about my wife’s health and terminal disease, or talk with my wife about my mother’s problems.”

We were able to convey that losing our friends brought inspiration to accomplish things we always wanted to do, he travels and I created this website.

The fondness I have for our relationship brings moments of grief, but also moments of joy; especially when I hear my mother say, “I am blessed by being friends with my adult children and grandchildren.”

One of my Mother’s gifts was friendship.