Author: vandemom2

by

In the paper: Dispatch Column #13 finale – Have the courage to speak up

please click here for my final Dispatch column

Advertisements
by

Katie’s birthday tribute 2018

A truth has been revealed to me. I AM KATIE’S MOM!

I became Katie’s mom 32 years ago today. I was her mom then and I am her mom now. When she died two years ago I didn’t realize I could still be her mom even though she is not here.  At that time I felt I had lost much of who I am. I lost my identity when I lost my daughter. My mother once described it as losing even more, she said, “losing Katie is like losing a big chunk of our own bodies, bigger than if we had lost an entire arm”.

It was recently pointed out to me that I am able to mother her still, not only while she was alive, but also in death. That is earth-shattering to me. I am not sure what that will look like, but I think since her death I have been mothering her by sharing her story. Her story did not die with her, it is up to me to share her life, her death; her effect on me and on you.

She taught us so much while she was living, and has taught us even more with her death. The lessons are the same. I learned about grace, perseverance, patience, and courage by watching her struggle with delayed milestones, bullies, ever-present hunger, and frustration. I am learning how to live with my new struggles. An example is how I have called upon her lessons to get me out of bed every morning. Once I decide that I must get out of bed, I put one foot on the floor, then attempt to get my other foot close to the floor. I’m still supine with my head on my pillow but bent at the waist to a near ninety degree angle (much like a broken Barbie doll chucked aside for a newer version) waiting for the strength to hoist my body upright, which I know I can do because I am a warrior! I am finding my new identity. I am a broken Barbie doll warrior. I am the teller of Katie’s story. I am Katie’s mom. I was her mom and I will be her mom until the day I die.

Today, I celebrate Katie’s birthday by becoming her mom once again. I’ve missed her.

31454160_10160345659160693_2949730663550418944_n

written: April 26, 2018. 32 years after Katie’s birth.

 

by

Dispatch Column #1 Angel of Hope- I neglected to publish this earlier, because it is a re-worked version of a previous blog post.

please click here for my first column from March 2017