On Your Knees for Motherhood

For the past five years, I have written in this column about losing my driver’s license, my ineptness with a glue gun and my kids’ desire to own a cell phone and get braces. I often whine about my weight and addiction to chocolate, my kids’ various school projects and if I will ever have good hair again. These are important aspects of motherhood, the ties that bind in the mommy world and give us wrinkle lines and need for hair color.

In this mommy world, news travels fast whether it is a recall on Tylenol, a food to avoid or a sleepover lice report. In late 2008, a mommy news flash spread within hours about a good friend of mine who suspected that her daughter’s occasional back pain was something more than the doctors diagnosis of ‘temporary soreness from swimming or gymnastics.’ This mother trusted her instincts and insisted on an x-ray of her daughter’s spine. Two days later, the call came: the x-ray revealed a mass in her daughter’s back.

And so began an odyssey that brought us to our knees -- mother, father, family and friends. When we all learned that this lively, beautiful little girl had cancer we did what moms do: we rallied, we planned, and we prayed. One mom organized a website that communicated the little girl’s condition. Another organized a meal tree with hot dinners delivered to their door. Other moms took care of the household, making sure everything stayed ‘normal’ for the siblings and dog.

Besides making meals for the family, I began to feel powerless. What could I do to help? The usual things were happening to me, like my shopping cart rolling away and hitting someone’s car in the Albertson’s parking lot. I decided to share these moments with my friend via email while she sat at her daughter’s bedside for weeks on end. If there were any chance could make her smile or laugh, my inability to mail a letter with a stamp on it would be worthwhile.

Last May, I started thinking about my girlfriend and other moms sitting on the oncology floor of CHOC. On their knees in a suspension of hope and fear, what would they do to celebrate Mother’s Day? How would they even allow themselves the day to sit back and relax? So, some friends and I decided to put together bags for the moms filled with books, blankets and, of course, chocolate. My girlfriend called me in tears. The women had been so touched and overjoyed to receive a bag filled with goodies just for them. It was one of the first times they had thought about themselves.

So this Mother’s Day, my girlfriend, no longer living at CHOC, called me and said she wanted to pay it forward and make bags for the moms who were on the oncology floor. Some women are friends; others are new moms to this journey of healing cancer. We gathered our contacts, put out the word and received an incredible response of donations. This year, the bag is fabulous, filled with all kinds of goodies such as flip-flops, books, toiletries, CDs and warm socks. Not only a symbol of the strength of the mommy world, the bag also represents the amazing community we have in Laguna Beach.

This year, be sure to celebrate yourself on Mother’s Day with a warm bubble bath, a walk on the beach, or a meal at your favorite restaurant. And know in your heart that the people below, our Mother’s Day CHOC bag donors, also celebrate motherhood and our dedication to raising the next generation.

Thank you CHOC Bag Donors

Arbonne & Leigh Leveen

Billabong & Jeff Booth

The Binky Patrol & Anne Herzog

The Bubble Lady, Rebecca Nile Cahootie, LLC

Daisy Troup 1892

Island Dentistry & Ken Garcia, DDS

Jane Porter

Joovy & Sara Gardner

Laguna Beach Books

MacGillivray Films & Patty Collins

Smart Girls Who Surf

Twistband

Whimsicle.net & Laurel Meister

The Barnett Family The Blossey Family The Brice Family The Casey Family The Compton Family The Cook Family The Dawes Family The Enslen Family The Gambrell Family The Gillelan-Veski Family The Henry Family The Lineback Family The Meekma Family The Michael Family The Motherway Family The Schaller Family The Schreiber-Butler Family The Short Family The Sviland Family The Phelan Family The Watson Family The Wilson Family The Winefordner Family, The Woodburn Family

If you would like to be a part of next year’s Mother’s Day CHOC bags, email me at cfugate@ verizon.net.

Comments

[daday]

Wonderful work! This is the type of information that should be shared around the web. Shame on the search engines for not positioning this post higher! Come on over and visit my website . Thanks =)
http://www.blogster.com/sarahthompson/why-and-where-to-locate-lower-price-prada-totes