I went home this weekend to see my mom. She spends most of her time in bed, so I don't get to spend a whole lot of time with her, but I value the time I do get. Someone told me that the best thing I can do for her is to live my life fully. That makes sense. It's tempting, since my mom is suffering, to suffer right along with her. I don't believe my mom would want that though. Sure, it's difficult to watch her decline, but that doesn't mean I have to spend my life moping around.

This is hard to explain, and I hope it doesn't appear insensitive. Robert Wicks talks about this in his book Riding the Dragon. When his daughter was in the hospital, he thought he had to appear gloomy or else his neighbors would mistake him for not caring. He thought the more forlorn he looked, the more it would seem he cared about his daughter who was sick. When he went to visit her, she told him that he looked worse than she felt. It was then that he realized that his being miserable was not helping him or his daughter.

I do live my life the best I can, taking advantage of every opportunity and learning as much as I can, so I can become more fully the person I was created to be. I have no doubt my mom is proud. After all, I am her favorite daughter.