Karma

I've thought a lot about karma in the last 18 months....

You see, when my mom got sick, I got sad....and then I got angry.  I was raised believing that all the nice, selfless acts you did in life would pay you dividends in the end.  But, I was bitter. We lost our dad already.....mom missed him, and struggled for money without his income.  I felt that if anyone deserved a break, it was her.

And yet, here we were...we lost our dad, money was tight, and as my mom reached the age where she could retire and enjoy herself, in an instant, she was diagnosed with stage 4 uterine cancer. 

I just didn't get it.  What did we do?  Why is this happening?  My mom is the most amazing person/mom/grandma.  This whole "karma" thing was clearly BS!

I had this feeling for about a week.  A week - until my mom had surgery to remove a tumor that should have been removed (diagnosed) months before.

I was sitting in her hospital room at Swedish in Seattle one day, when the flower cart guy came by (he flirted with her, but she's a beautiful woman, and I was used to that).  I sat there....waiting to see which bouquet was hers.

As he started unloading EVERY flower on his cart, he smiled with a comment.  "I don't know who you are, or what you do, Teresa, but you are the most popular person in this hospital."

Minutes later I looked at Facebook, there were lemonade stands and fundraisers in her honor, and my phone blew up with texts and messages checking on her.

And now, as we reach the end of our journey, and the house fills with with flowers and cards, my epiphany continues.

You see, karma has nothing to do with material things.  It has nothing to do with your house, job, clothes, car, or what happens to you.

Karma has everything to do with the people that step up and pick you up in your darkest hours.

And in that....we are rich beyond measure.