A Mom’s Love, A Daughter’s Tribute
By: Colleen Reith

My mother, Sharon Reith, passed away at the young age of 59 due to follicular lymphoma. She was diagnosed in January 2021. In November 2021 Mom decided to stop treatment. She didn’t want our family to have to take care of her although it would have been our honor to do so. She passed away peacefully with our family surrounding her on January 10, 2022. My mom opted out of a funeral. She said she didn’t want us to have to relive the memories of her last year.

Mom was a wonderful human being. She was an OBGYN nurse practitioner and loved educating everyone who walked into her office. However, her very favorite job was that of being our mom. She was one of those mothers that was truly meant to be a mom. She was non-judgmental, and understanding, and loved us for who we were. We never had to pretend with her, she would see right through it anyway. She taught us to be emotionally intelligent through a book of “love notes” she would write back and forth with my sister and me. She wanted us to have a special place to talk about anything we wanted, regardless of comfort. She was always my “safe” place.

My sister and I were her everything. Her co-workers always shared that Mom told them so much about us. She was always so proud of us. My mom and dad were married for 38 years and were great examples of a loving, healthy relationship. My dad says she taught him how to be a dad . . . especially a girl dad.

Mom loved the beach, and she loved to travel. Margaritas were her favorite. Blue crabs were always a must, and my dad made sure she had plenty of them in the last year of her life. She loved dogs and told us the story of how she often shared her ice cream cone with her childhood dog, JoJo. She also told us about her pet bird.

So much has changed in my life since Mom died, from moving from Texas to Arizona to dating someone long-term that my mom never got to meet, from trying to just hold down a job while convincing myself to get out of bed each morning. My dad sold our home in Maryland three months after Mom died. My family had lived in that home for fourteen years, so it was hard to lose what felt like another piece of my mom. Sometimes, it feels like I don’t have enough of her in Arizona like I would in Maryland.

A few months after my mom passed away, a friend told me about a support group at the Grief and Loss Center for young adults my age. I had never been to a support group and wasn’t sure how I would feel about it. I went to my first meeting and immediately felt like I was part of a family who understood what I was going through. I have yet to miss a group meeting, as it has played such a vital role in my grief journey.

When I joined the group, I was constantly dreaming that Mom had never passed away. I struggled with this for months. I shared this in our support group and others mentioned having had similar dreams and assured me they would eventually go away. They were right. Now when I dream of her, it’s usually her visiting me and giving me advice about whatever problem I am having at that moment.

Laurie is the most wonderful human being I’ve ever met in my life. She has so much experience with grief and rebuilding lives, especially for people around my age group (20s & 30s). Laurie has helped me find ways to connect with my mom here in Arizona. She knows each of us so well that she knows just the right thing to recommend. This journey of grief will continue, but I’m so glad to have others in my group who truly understand what I’m going through.