Mama Rita

A short message sent on a Thursday evening in early December 2013, under the subject line:  Match? You were listed as a 100% Match! I am not sure what a 100% match means … First, would you be interested in me. Check my profile. Later, when she puzzled over their relationship, she'd remember this. She had contacted him, not the other way around. That had been a fateful move; it made everything easier for him. But she didn't know that yet. So much of this was new. Amy* had never done this online-dating thing. It had been over two years since the death of her husband of 20 years; four, since she had lost her mother. Two sharp blows that had left her alone in her late 50's. The marriage had been troubled; he was abusive. His cancer took him swiftly, before she had time to process what was happening. After the funeral, a grief counselor told her to make no sudden changes in her life for at least a year, and she followed that advice. Now she was all by herself in a hou...

THE GIFT OF LIFE As a child I knew my brother was sick. But, until recently I never understood the impact his illness would have on his life, as well as mine. In the past year, at the young age of 33, my brother's kidneys began to fail as a result of Juvenile diabetes. When I realized his health was declining, I chose to give him the gift of life. Without hesitation I volunteered to donate a kidney to my brother. After months of testing I was a perfect match. The day of the surgery would be the day that changed both of our lives forever. We are now bonded in a unique way forever. All I wanted from this experience was to see my brother live a healthier and longer life. Instead, this life changing experience has made me look at life and family in a different way. I am so grateful that I was able to help make a difference in someone's life, especially my brother's. Being an organ donor (living or deceased) is a wonderful experience for both parties involved and their ...

Among my early childhood memories, there is one vivid image that never seems to fade, and that was what seemed like this never ending hallway filled from waist to ceiling with photographs of our family moments, frozen in time. So many fond memories, fun times, vacations, family gatherings, etc…. And ,my God, did we hate setting up for that stuff!!! My mom had this saying “Oh MY!! What a beautiful Kodak moment!!!” That was our cue to gather up for a family photo; Every. Where. We. Went… We would somehow find a “Kodak Moment!” So, at that time, we all took this stuff for granted because our family ‘moment’ cup had runneth over. Well, as fate would have it that moment filled hallway had to come down and relocate; the “Kodak Moments” had somehow taken a backseat to the hand that life had dealt us. On a beautiful Mother’s Day morning May 13, 2001, my mom said she felt a “pop” in her head. She said it “felt like someone snapped a twig inside my brain”, so we rushed her to the ER which sta...