So today I wanna talk about my mom. Sort of an updated entry to this. Maybe not “updated” as much as more specific.

Today I wanna talk about the kind of mom she is to my wife. As you all know, Kischa’s had a rough year.

And my mom loves her so much. She’s always checking in, always asking how she feels on any given day. Always thinking about her.

But it’s more than words. She’ll make dishes Kischa enjoys and can eat. Kischa has several restrictions on her because of both “the renal diet” and because she developed a dairy intolerance in the last year for whatever reason. So “Mami” will make some low phosphorous, low potassium, low salt, dairy free things for Kischa.

It’s pretty cute actually. 😊

Often you’ll find my mom on TikTok following this chef or that chef, playing the video over and over, making things Kischa can eat. Happily and gladly, because, “I dunno, Kischa liked it.🤷‍♂️☺️” Sometimes I’ll joke after Kischa eats 2 bowls of something my mom made and I’ll say to her, “Well there ya go, you can expect this dinner a couple more times in the next month, because you said you liked it, until she finds a new recipe from a new TikTok chef! 🤣”

A few days ago my mom came to her with a memory foam, “back rest pillow” -a pillow I never knew existed, that has a back rest, and arm rests- and said “I saw this the other day at Target and thought you’d like it.😊”
She knows Kischa gets really tired after dialysis days, daily pt, and whatever other activity happens. And a lot of times Kischa will sit in bed with pillows behind her so she’s not always laying down (and raising risk of pneumonia and more muscle atrophy, and all the other things that can happen if you lay in bed too long.)

Then there’s the shirt my mom bought her, a little black T, that simply says “I’m so glad you’re here.” ❤️

So my mom saw the things, thought Kischa would like the things, and bought her the things. ❤️

She helps Kischa in and out of places with stairs when I’m carrying her dialysis bag or am otherwise unable to. She’ll stay awake and help me make sure Kischa’s blood sugar comes back up when it sometimes inexplicably drops at 3am.

So I could go on and on about all the stuff she does for Kischa, but my point here isn’t “Hey look at all the stuff my mom does for Kischa.”

My point is about my mom’s capacity to love. My mom’s heart. My mom’s capacity for love and her kindness and her giving nature. Her patience and her hope that people she loves, in this case Kischa, will heal and get better.

She loves Kischa as her own daughter. Not because “she’s married to my son.” But because she’s Kischa. She’s Kischa “and she needs help right now and she’s my daughter and I love her.”

They are blessed to have each other, and I’m blessed to bear daily witness to it. ❤️

(And who knows, maybe one day Mami will buy me one of those fancy-pants pillows for Christmas or my birthday or something.
But probably not. 🤣🤣🤣🤷‍♂️)