Grief....

     We each have had to face grief at different times in our lives and for different reasons.  We grieve for the loss of a loved one.  We grieve when our candidate loses the election.  We grieve when our favorite sports team doesn't win the big game.  We grieve at the change of seasons.  We even grieve for our lost youth and the memories of our childhood.  The list goes on...
     Today I face the grief of the loss of a parent.  I sit and watch and wait.  Mom still clings to what life she has left.  I watch and wait as I have a done for years as mom has been very slowly robbed of her memories, her independence, her speech and now her life.
     My grief is partly because, in mom's typical style, life is leaving her slowly.  I grieve for the happy times that from this time on, will only be memories.  I grieve for the wonderful (and LONG) talks that mom and I had.  I grieve for the vacations we used to take, mom and dad showed me the country and expanded my views of the world.  There are so many reasons that this process, although expected and a necessary part of life, causes me to grieve.
      Yet, my life will go on.  Tears will be shed.  My grief will be shared with others who love mom.  I will laugh at the fun we had.  I will continue to remember, to tell the stories of the happy times with my parents.  I will make sure that my mom will not be forgotten.  I will live with the values that my mom and dad passed onto me.  I will grieve but I will remember and slowly the grief will pass.  But most of all, I live the rest of my life with my parents watching over my shoulder, being proud of where I came from and who raised me to be the man I now am.  (for better or worse)  And I WILL make my parents proud!