In this season of political madness and punditry, I think we sometimes lose sight of the fact that we are all individual people, thrust together by a rather arbitrary process called birth. Though we are all Americans, politics can tend to forget that we are also brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters.
At 1:15am, today, September 26th, 2008, my girlfriend's mother, Kathy Nelson, passed away. She had spent the last two years battling pancreatic cancer and doing a valiant job of it. What should have been a six-month prognosis extended beyond all medical expectations because she simply refused to leave the family she loved; the one that loved her so dearly in return.
There are certain people you meet who act like celestial bodies, bending time and space to attract others in yet unexplained ways. My personal time with Kathy consisted mostly of a few conversations while she rested in a hospital bed. Unfortunately, most of what I know of her came to me in the form of anecdotes and other happy memories from friends and family.
She spent her life in the service of others as a registered nurse. Even after the diagnosis and rounds of chemotherapy, she stubbornly returned to work again and again, hoping, I assume, to make life a little better for at least one more person. Over the last few days, when her family honored her wishes and brought her home from the hospital, I met people whom Kathy had touched. Co-workers and friends stopped by to see her and speak to her, knowing that she could hear them despite being unable to respond. They all wanted to express their love for her and their gratitude for playing even a small role in her story.
She raised three children, one of whom I happen to be crazy about. She instilled in them a sense of purpose larger than themselves, urging them to carry on her mission of selflessness. Her daughter worked her way through college in a nursing home and is now a teacher. One son is also studying to be a teacher, hoping to share Kathy's legacy of selflessness with a few more people along the way. Her legacy will be just as strong as she was.
I want to remind you, whomever may end up reading this, that there are things much smaller and much greater than politics that have a more fundamental impact on our daily lives. It's the love that we share with one another, friends, family, and sometimes complete strangers, that makes us strong.
So, if you happen to stumble across this diary, stop. Just stop.
Take a moment to remember Kathy today and try to spread her legacy around just a little bit.