I lost both my parents to long drawn out painful illnesses at fairly young ages. It was sad and hard to watch them suffer and know that there was little I could do except to be there. Cherish the time you have with your Mum, you will always have your memories and know that you did all you could for her. I still miss my Mum, I would have liked to have been able to know her as a friend into adulthood (she died when I was 23, my Dad 7 years later), and to know each other more as equals than as parent / child.

every Saturday thrift shopping. We used to go shopping and also stop off at a bakery for coffee and dessert. They only made cakes/pies with fruit juice (rather than oil). It was so much fun. Then I moved to Australia and eventually to New York, so my mom visited me from Miami once or twice a year (vice versa). But it was inbetween visits that I didn’t phone her enough. I just figured that nothing important was going on, but I didn’t realize how much she needed those calls. It was only after she passed that I found e-mails to her siblings saying how bored she was. So, it’s too late for me, but it’s so nice to hear that you are consciously taking the time for yours.