I couldn’t imagine life without my mother. She was the brightest, boldest fixture in my life, a constant support and constant love. And I knew one day, she would be gone. I knew that someday, she would leave this world. I knew that my youth was a gift, that as I grew older, so the stakes would rise. Now was the time when tragedy rarely struck. My family was healthy, whole, happy, but the years would wear that away. It was only a matter of time.
