I had another lucky day in the spring of 2001. I was laid off from my job. That gave me an opportunity to learn some some new skills, and to work a less hectic, less stressful part time job for a small, home town newspaper publisher. And it allowed me to move my mother into my home in 2006, when her husband died.

But the newspaper fell victim to the downturn in the economy, and last year it folded. And that, it turns out, was also a lucky thing for me. It allowed me to take care of my mother as her health deteriorated. (She had developed severe dementia and breast cancer.)

And then another lucky thing happened to me: our sixth grandchild was born, and I was asked by my daughter and her husband to consider taking care of the baby, during the day, while they worked.

And taking care of a baby was really a lucky thing, because—although I have two wonderful daughters, and already had five older grandchildren—I had always been too busy to actively participate in the daily care of a young child, to help teach her all the attributes of greatness. My granddaughter will be seventeen months old in just a few days.

So I have been pretty busy for over a year now. Recently I had to move a hospital bed into my home and put my mom on hospice care.

A week ago tonight Mom passed away. She passed away peacefully, and without much pain. I was able to be with her, to hold her hand, and talk to her as she took her last breath. It was just the two of us.

I was lucky that she was my mother. She was there with me when I was born, and while I was growing up.

I am honored that I could be with her at the end of her life.