She is Still Mom

This is one of the most intimate and heartfelt posts I’ve worked on, but it’s a story that deserves to be told, remembered and honoured.  She is Mom—a beautiful soul, a true fighter, compassionate, loving, and the most selfless person I know.  She also happens to be the most beautiful woman in my eyes.  I still remember, as a little girl around seven, slipping on her high heels and parading around like I was already her.  Little did I know, in my pretty little dress and wearing shoes that almost swallowed me whole, how fast time would pass.  

She is mom -  a young stroke survivor, over 7 years now since that wretched day of October, watching how she almost left us, to slowly finding miraculous strength to start moving again and carry on.  Her life is different now, seemingly still.  Her best companion is a white dotted dog, Steli.  Steli understands her, protects her, alerts her of any door knock, or phone call, and she plays with her and keeps close.  

The surrounding colourful roses, her father’s embrace, is the one image that would bring tears of joy and sadness to her eyes.  How she misses her father, her mother.  

She might not see the good she brings or how much she would be missed, but her tender voice, her prayers, her presence would be a loss so hard to bear.   Watching her grandchildren love her, spend time with her and walk out and about brings us so much joy.  The tender care she always gave, she is now receiving.  She is still young, still beautiful, still worthy, hoping this post would shed a little light on that thought.  

As tears pour down my cheeks, I end this post with gratitude for she is still mom, still beautiful, still worth the whole world, and maybe one day soon, I’ll have the courage to dive a little deeper into a whole series about mom.  

Current images are all taken by me, the images of her youth were captured by my father.   The colourful image was captured by someone unknown sometime in the late 60s, in the park of Herastrau, Bucharest, Romania.