My Mother Smile

My mother was a strong brave woman. Even when she was exhausted and worn down from chemotherapy, she still went to work every day, smiling. When I went to visit her in the hospital, she was always smiling, maybe because of the pain killers, but she was still always smiling. In the hospital, on the last trip I took to see her, she could not even keep a straight conversation with me. She was so drugged up on pain medication, because she was in so much pain, but she was still smiling.

When my older brother and I went to live with her in Louisiana, we learned of her illness. The doctors there diagnosed her, and she was supposed to go into surgery to get the cancerous tumor taken out of her. However, when she went back to the hospital, she was assigned a different doctor, and he did not check the chart which told exactly what needed to be done and why. Instead, he did surgery to find out what needed to be done, when it was already known. My mom, older brother, and I moved to Tennessee to be closer to all of my mom’s family. She would be in and out of the hospital; we never knew whether or not we would see her the next day. But every time we did see her, she would always be so sweet and she would always smile.

I had one last chance to go see my mom and I chose not to go, it broke my heart to see her in the condition she was in. But I guess it broke her heart not to see me at all, I thought I’d get another chance to see her, but before any of us knew it… she was gone. The funeral was open casket; she looked like she could just open her eyes and tell me good morning, but she could not, she was dead. And the whole ceremony, I was crying, because her still peaceful smile, was still sitting on her still peaceful face. I wanted to run up and hug my mom one more time, but I would not have had the strength to let go. Her smile is what helped me remember her all these year; it is what made my day every time I saw it. My mom’s smile was the most beautiful smile I have ever seen, and ever will see. Her smile is how she showed her bravery, her courage, her strength