This Mother’s Day, I want to truly honor my courageous, amazing mom. Actually, I can’t really remember my mom. At least, I can’t remember the mom of my childhood, of my adolescence or my young adulthood. That mom is gone. That mom was strong, powerful, well-spoken and observant. She was a sort of guru. Everybody wanted her perspective and advice. That mom was a teacher, a learner, an advocate for her family, her students and anybody who needed a just solution to a problem. My mom always made me feel like I could accomplish anything. She encouraged me to be a powerful, independent and compassionate woman. 

A brain disease called primary progressive aphasia took away almost all verbal communication skills from her and took away the mom I knew from her family, her friends and me. This new mom that I have gotten to know, though, is an amazingly courageous person. She has adjusted to a new way of life where she exists as a person who is trapped in their own body. But, this new mom connects with people almost on a spiritual level.

She still lights up when I come in to the room. She will still try to warm up my hands when they are cold, or kiss me or laugh with me. She is still joyous when she sees her grandchildren, or when my dad walks in the room. 

My mom has been looking forward to our Mother’s Day photo shoot. We had so much fun dressing up in our Dolce & Gabbana and Valentino outfits and posing and laughing for the camera. Just as my mom always made me feel beautiful, I got to make her feel glamorous in a stunning silk top intermingled with a design of love. I wanted to give my mom these moments of joy and to feature her in The Joy of J Instagram and in this blog post to honor her on this Mother’s Day. My mom is still teaching me. She is teaching me that we can find joy despite our struggles and still find ways to smile and laugh. 

Share the Joy. Join the Movement.