Its been another few minutes since you heard from me, I know. There are often times when I am overcome with all of the mundane activities of life and to sit down and feel my feelings - even about the dogs- is sometimes too much! Even when Ike is naughty, and Brix runs away to Grammas house, and my kids are out doing all the things they are (really) supposed to be doing - real life stuff - I sometimes struggle to look up and look out at the world and understand my place in it. I (my whole family& friend group actually) also have had enough "real life" stuff to last me a lifetime I think. The saying "The hits just keep on coming!" has been real for 2025. Here's hoping the second half is better.....
Loss mothers often go quiet on certain days of huge loss - others are loud and proud and trying to make theirs and their childrens voices heard. The farther away from our loss it seems that the closer we try to hold our angels and our children who are here. The farther I have gotten from Rye's death date, the more it seems it takes me emotionally to keep my shit together on the daily when the holidays/special days are coming. I end up exhausted all the time for a couple of weeks beforehand.
The first Sunday in May started with what is called "Bereaved Mothers Day" - who even thinks this stuff up? Ugh - Im not sure to be honest - what if?......its always a question. As in, what if I had only one kid - would I want a separate Mothers Day since then I would just be a "bereaved Mother" and have that be a different day? I hope that isn't how some moms have to do things. Its very sad. This year Reedo had surgery about a week before all of the Mothers Day stuff started so that was also looming huge over me - all the "what if's" that could happen to him, and then he couldnt get around still....so - let's just say that it was a very emotional couple of weeks. Thankfully, he will make a full recovery! Check that box off the worry list! We also had some losses at work that were very emotional too. More about that later.....maybe.
There is still not a day that goes by that I dont think about Rye and Reed and Keyona and......all the kids whom I have ever been in charge of in the least amount of ways! Hearing about things like 9/11, police shootings, murders and car accidents, overdose, leukemia, even a freakin volcano that was supposed to blow earlier in the year those are all ways that can worry a mom. I can't watch a lot of news now or I am underwater and treading for all I am worth! No, I have not made my kids do the Life360 and make sure I know at all times where they are; a) that would overwhelm me with emotional stuff of the everyday things that I really dont need to know, b) They are grown ups and I cannot put them in that type of a bubble even if I want to and c) that would be so unfair to them tryng to make a life and do all the great things that they ARE supposed to do! Without the Mom - peeking at every angle! It really is what I want to do though....
And no.....I don't sit around waiting and wondering about all the worrisome things, but I also seem to now have some PTSD that causes me to worry about things that a lot of other people don't. Although I have seen the Life360 ad on lately where the Mom is singing a creepy song about all the ways that she worries could happen to her kid... I could totally relate. So maybe I'm not alone in this crazy worry wart world that I sometimes live in!
One of my big things that I am really having to work on lately almost daily is "please see that I am in pain without me having to unleash it on everyone around me." Without my having to scream it to the rooftops or really, the stars before those around me can see the huge burden that is carried by me and by loss mothers all of the time - even when we are having a good day. We forget that people can't see that...they have no way to know. Because it's there even we get out of bed and do all the things around that are to be done and that people expect us to do. Even when we are such impressive Badasses that no one can tell how much that we carry!
For now, I will keep marching....keep fucking going......keep finding a way, every day, to be the Badass! I hope you will too! You are important and you matter - (insert heart emoji here).
Blessed be and once again Badass Be!