14 Minutes a Day by Anna Martinez (brene brown rising strong .txt) đź“–
- Author: Anna Martinez
Book online «14 Minutes a Day by Anna Martinez (brene brown rising strong .txt) 📖». Author Anna Martinez
For the first time in 13 years, my mother and I grieved together. Not for 14 minutes. Not for 55 minutes. But until we were out of tears. This time neither of us glanced at a clock.
“Not the End, a New Beginning”
I was in our backyard showing my mom and grandmother my gymnastics floor routine, while my grandfather tended to the grill. My competition is in less than 3 weeks and my family has cleared their schedules to be there. My mother canceled all impending home shows. My grandmother put off her double mastectomy until after. My grandfather, well…he’s in retirement, so he really hasn’t an excuse not to be there.
Things between my mom and her parents seem to be smooth sailing. This breast cancer scare seems to have put a scare into all of us. My grandparents come over every weekend for a backyard picnic. My grandfather has even taken up the responsibility of taking me to my practices. While I’m toning up my gymnastics skills, my mom and her mother spend quality time together. They realized that they love to have dinner together once a week, followed by a shopping spree. Which is awesome for me, because I’m usually the recipient of said sprees.
And, as for my mother…let’s just say that her 14 minutes are fewer and farther between. I can sometimes hear her weeping but it’s not as often and it’s usually after she thinks I’m asleep. But, it’s okay. She will never get over losing her Soul Mate. Then, again, why would I want her to.
My grandfather goes into the house to fetch a pitcher of my mom’s refreshing iced tea, with grandmother right behind him. They can’t be apart for more than two minutes. As my mom and I have been rekindling our relationship, they have been rekindling theirs, as well.
My mom takes a bite of her hot dog and finds me staring at her. “What? Is there something on my face?” she asks me.
I stand up from the bench I’m on and seat myself on her lap. I cup her face in my hands and reply, “Nothing, but beauty, Mami. Nothing, but beauty.”
I haven’t seen her smile that huge or her brown-sugar eyes sparkle that much in a really, really long time.
ImprintPublication Date: 04-26-2013
All Rights Reserved
Dedication:
For my mother - I miss you dearly and I would do anything to spend just one more day with you.
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