Sometimes all the Planning in the World Doesn't Matter

As the year comes to an end I tend to spend time wrapping things up on the business side so that when the holidays arrive I can spend all of my time over the holidays with my family, without worrying about getting something else done. I believe this is critical for my sense of wellness and being. I'm lucky in that my business does not revolve around the holidays, and in fact slows down incredibly this time of the year. So it is easier for me than it is for some to take a few weeks off to relax and unwind. When I begin again in the new year, I am generally relaxed, refreshed and ready to go.

Of course, even the best laid plans are sometimes bound to fail. On Wednesday morning as I was preparing lunch for the girls and getting ready to clean the house for my mom's yearly Christmas visit, I received a phone call from my mom. The call stunned me, as it was only three her time and she was supposed to be at work. The phone number caused my stomach to turn: No name, just Florida call printed on the phone. When she said hello, I knew immediately that something wasn't right. And then she told me that Wednesday morning, as I slept in California, she suffered a stroke in Florida.

My mother was a single working mom with no support from anyone else for many, many years. She worked hard all of her life, three jobs for quite some time, selling real estate, teaching school and waitressing at night. She is still working at the age of 62 and ready to retire in just a few short years. We had planned a wonderful Christmas visit, now that the girls are 1 and 3 and excited about the lights, tree and, at least the older one, about Santa. We had planned a mother and daughter getaway in February.

She should have arrived this morning; instead, I will be flying to visit her in a rehab facility the day after Christmas.

How much everything can change in just an instant.

Her stroke followed closely my aunt's death from brain cancer and my friend's death from pneumonia. October, November and December this year have dealt our family quite a bit of tragedy.

I have some previously written posts to post, but I'll be taking some time off now to help my mother grow strong. They say she may walk again with therapy and a lot of hard work. She was lucky; she survived.

Now, the fact that this website didn't get completed all of the way or that one article didn't get submitted really doesn’t matter. In the grand scheme of things, what does matter is my family.

I suppose that is why I have always enjoyed writing about mothers in business. We love our families first, and we love our businesses as well, but when it comes down to it, we understand which is the most important of the two.

I will begin posting in the new year when I am able. In the meantime, I am wishing all of my regular readers a wonderful holiday season.

Hug those that you love with abandon each and every day and enjoy every single moment that you spend with the people that you love. 

Happy Holidays, working mothers and fathers.