Expressing Gratitude for My Mom

Happy Thanksgiving!  I’m especially thankful for time with my mom and deeply grateful for Agrace Hospice.

My mom has been on hospice since August, 2013.  Since then I have felt every emotion.  From sadness to relief.   Sadness settles over me as I watch her get weaker and more confused. Relief washes over me when I meet the incredible Agrace Hospice employees. Their support allows my mom to stay with my dad.

As my mom’s life winds down, I have been thinking about all the wonderful things she has done for me and how blessed I am to have her.

Mother’s Day 2013

While my mom is still able to converse, I wanted to express my gratitude for her and everything she has done for me.  I realize that I’m very fortunate I have the time to do this.

Since I’m not the type of person who can just sit with my mom and talk about such things without bawling my eyes out, I decided to create a very simple gratitude album.  She can re-read the album and remember all over again (it’s sometimes hard for her to remember conversations).

If you would like to make a gratitude album for someone, I encourage you to do it sooner than later.   Need a little help getting started?  Here are the instructions.

Find photos that represent your gratitude.  Write each gratitude on a piece of paper and slip it into a small photo album, on the page opposite the photo.  These books may also be put together online on sites like Shutterfly or Snapfish.

The album I made had photos of me in the dance costume she made, birthday parties she threw, and photos with my daughter—just to name a few.

Mom was thrilled with her gratitude album.  I’m glad it brought her a bit of joy.