My mom, Niculina Apostolescu, gave me a mantel clock thirty-five years ago that chimes every hour. The melodious sound used to annoy me at times when I tried to take a nap, but now it gives me comfort, as if she is still here.
I look for things that she left behind for me, anniversary gifts, a birthday ring from forty years ago, her beautiful, crocheted macramé in the shape of grapes and intricate doilies, and all her little porcelain figurines and tiny coffee cups she loved to bring back from Romania. The maroon crystal vase, a wedding gift, holds colorful carnations that my husband always brings home from the grocery store every three weeks.
Yesterday we gave away most of her personal belongings from the nursing home to the residents who don't have families to cherish them like we loved my mother, and we kept a few things. It was so hard to be in her room and bathroom, seeing all the things as if she was still living there.
A few outstanding employees hugged us, and we thanked them for their dedication and care for my mom.
Today we took a walk in the woods by the Potomac River and an unusual butterfly flew close to my daughter's face and to mine, but not my husband's. We thought, it was her soul, telling us that she is still around, watching over us, and it was a moment of happiness. She was our light, our heart, and the glue that held the family together.
Mom lived her life fully and happy, embracing others with her generosity and care. My daughters and I are who we are today thanks to her dedication and selfless hard work. She lived almost three months past 90 and she would have lived longer had her life not been cut by the careless and abusive staff at Manor Care in Fairfax, a nursing home facility owned by Pro Medica of Colorado.
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