Experiencing God’s Love through our Moms

I was diagnosed with leukemia when I was 18 years old. Back then people didn’t survive cancer, at least I had never heard of anyone who had. The whole family was in a tailspin, but not my mom; she was too busy scraping us all up off the floor and dusting us off so we could move forward.

I was initially in the hospital for seven and a half weeks. Though my mom had a school to run, she was at the hospital every evening after work.  At the time, I was too sick to pay attention to how tired she was or how stressful her life might have been with a daughter so sick, but my mom never complained.  She just kept showing up. She let me know that she was there and would be present to walk this journey with me. She also let me know that Jesus and Mary were there with me too.  She even brought to the hospital the hand-carved figurine of the Blessed Mother and the crucifix she had given to me as a young child, lest I forget.

I knew my mom felt helpless, but she did the one thing she knew she could.  She prayed for me and had everyone she knew praying for me too – family, friends, co-workers, seminarians, nuns, and priests; they all became prayer warriors. They even had their families and friends praying for me.  Roommates, classmates, professors, the chaplain, my advisor, and many priests at my Catholic college also prayed for me – even students who didn’t know me at all.  It was truly amazing!

When I was finally sent home from the hospital, I began outpatient chemotherapy.  The nurses had passed the baton to my mom and she took it unwaveringly.  Every three weeks or so, my mom had to insert a needle into my abdomen each day for five days and hook it up to a pump to administer the chemo.  My mom had always been squeamish with needles, but she became tough as nails as she faithfully administered the chemotherapy that I could not administer to myself.  She held the bucket when I threw up and she cleaned the bed sheets when they became soiled. It could not have been easy for her, but she did it all with tenderness and love.

That’s how moms love.   They don’t try to solve our problems; they just immerse themselves in them and get involved in all of their messiness. They let us know that they are there by our side and will support us in any way they can. They step up when we are at our worst and do their best to make things better.  I am truly grateful for my mom. 

Today, we honor all mothers, especially Mary, Mother of us all.  Happy Mother’s Day!