On June 25, 2008, my mother, Eunice Bauer, passed away after 79 years and recent bouts with bladder cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Many of you who are familiar with the developments in recent months knew, as I did, that this day was quickly approaching, but that doesn’t prepare anyone for the actual event. I thought all along that I was prepared for this moment, but I am clearly not.
Even though my mother is in a much better place and finally free of the pain and suffering, the sense of loss is tremendous. My mom was my best friend on top of being my mother, and I’m obviously very torn up about it. I’ll remember my mom as fondly as a son ever could, and I’ll obviously never forget her.
She was a fiery lady with a strong will and determination that I hope has filtered to some degree down to me. She was also a huge believer in her boys and always encouraged us even when we messed up. She enjoyed laughing, cutting up and sharing a beer with friends and family. We’d frequently have “family nights” on Thursdays at a local restaurant, and that made mom really happy even if she didn’t order anything to eat (she was never a big eater). The time meant more to her than the actual meal.
Mom loved coming to my baseball games and taking me to the bowling alley while she bowled. She was a great bowler just as she was a mother. Mom wasn’t so great at keeping her opinions to herself during my games at times though–I’ll never forget the time that the coach put on a hit and run while I was batting and the next pitch was so high I had to jump to swing at it. I ended up getting a base hit so the play worked great, but I recall my mom yelling “Roger, don’t swing at those!” Of course, her voice stood out because she was my mom, but I always knew she had my back even if she didn’t agree with what I was doing. That was just one example that sticks out at this moment for whatever reason, but it’s extremely tough when you lose your biggest cheerleader in life, best friend, and mother all at once.
I feel as though a blog post trivializes my mom’s life in some regards, but I also feel as if it pays a tribute to her, too so I’m a little torn on this. I’m hesitant to write a whole lot because I don’t want to forget anything so it’s easier to just share a few thoughts that come to mind right now with the caveat that I’m admittedly leaving a lot out. To say I loved my mom would be an understatement–she meant the world to me and vice versa. We had a great relationship, and I am grateful for the times we shared. I only wish we could have had more time together with her being completely healthy, but that obviously wasn’t meant to be. My job now is to make my mom even prouder than she already was before she passed away so I have a lot of work to do. Hopefully some of you will join me in my journey to accomplish that goal.
There is little anyone can say or do to make the pain go away, but I appreciate everyone who has reached out to me to express sympathy and offer a helping hand. I’ve never felt the way I do right now, and I’m not sure when this will subside to the point I return to being myself again, but I hope those of you who have healthy parents love and appreciate them as much as you can while you can because you never know when things may change.
I realize this post has nothing to do with sales, marketing or business, but it has everything to do with life, and that’s something we all have in common. I thank you for reading and thinking of my mom in the process.