A Special Tribute to Moms

If you're a Mom, I hope you had a fabulous Mother's Day.

If you have a living Mom, I hope you got to spend some quality time with her, at least on the phone.

And if your Mom has passed on, like mine, I hope you were able to remember her fondly and miss her today, like I did.

My Mom died before her time, a victim of a sudden heart attack.  Did you know that for 50% of people with heart disease the first sign is sudden death? My Mom was one of them.  She died peacefully in her sleep of a massive heart attack at age 56.  Yes heart disease can be the silent killer, and in many, if not most cases it's preventable.

Losing my Mom at such a young age was a hard blow for all of us, especially Debbie, my youngest sister, who was only 13 at the time.  As the youngest of nine, with 5 older sisters and as one being afflicted with Down's syndrome, Debbie had many mothers as you can well imagine.  Still, none of us could really step into my Mom's shoes fully.

Debbie became an orphan at age 15, when my Dad passed on just 2 years after my Mom.  He too, died suddenly of a heart attack, although he, unlike my Mom,  did have a few early warning signs, like high blood pressure which supposedly was under control.

My second youngest sister Cathy became Debbie's guardian – effectively her Mom and her Dad.  They loved each other so much and were inseparable – until Cathy was diagnosed with lymphoma and died in 2008!

Debbie has had much loss in her young life.  Now she's living with my third youngest sister, Terry, and she seems very happy.

Fortunately for Debbie, her Down's syndrome allows her to view the world differently than we do.

Losing 3 parents can be devastating.  Yet she seems to have been able to adapt so much better than most of us could have under the same circumstances.

All this loss in my family fueled my already existing passion for health even further.

Knowledge is Power…

While I know that genetically I am at risk, I choose to embrace all the latest research on epigenetics and know that I have the power to change my gene expression by my lifestyle choices.

I did a presentation last week for my VITAL health community about Nutrigenomics, the science of altering genetic expression by diet and lifestyle choices.

People were blown away by the information.  The replay is available for VITAL Community members.  If you're not member you can join for just $19.95 and get that presentation as well as dozens of others on health topics including thyroid and adrenal health, balancing brain chemistry, immune system health and much more.  There's also a library of a dozen food prep classes, filmed in my kitchen or the kitchen of guest chefs.

http://www.VitalHealthCommunity.com

I run this community as a gift of love in memory of my Mom, Dad and sister Cathy, to provide a very low cost means of accessing empowering health information that can save lives and improve your quality of life very dramatically.  The small enrollment fee does not yet even come close to covering our costs to run it.

 

I had a lovely Mother's Day.  My “baby”  Kevin, almost 15, folded my laundry and put it away  while my husband of 27 years, Scott, made a fabulous dinner.

See the photos below!

I got to swim and also talk to my college son, Eric who is coming home from college on Thursday.

It was a joyful day, as I enjoyed my family and recalled happy times with my mother, who I miss dearly.

She did the best she could with her limited knowledge of nutrition, and made us home cooked meals every day.

And I believe with all my heart that had she lived her life the way I teach others to live, the way I live my own, that she would be with us still, enjoying her grandchildren, 7 of whom she she never got to meet, and her one great grandchild who is just 4 years old.

 

“Thank you Mom, for all the sacrifices you made for us.  We had a great childhood, with so many happy memories. I love you and miss you and so wish Eric and Kevin could have known you, and you them. They missed out on a huge blessing!”

I am grateful for the lessons, painful as they were, that taught me to cherish my loved ones every moment of every day.

Give your Mom an extra hug for me!

Stay healthy, happy and full of joy, and cherish the gift of life your Mom so generously gave to you.

Love, Health, and Joy,

Comment below: What do you cherish about your Mom the most?