Thoughts for Tuesday: Tea Leaves

It’s been a week.

Last Tuesday, I was listening to keynotes and sharing trivia at LinuxCon 2013. I also received a phone call that my mom was rushed to the ER with pneumonia. By Wednesday afternoon, the doctors were recommending that I travel to Florida as my mom’s condition worsened. At 4:00am on Thursday, I packed up my LinuxCon and Linux Plumbers Conference items and took the first available flight to Florida. I spent the day with my mom listening to her breathing mixed with soothing music. At 8:38pm Thursday evening, my mom passed away peacefully while I stroked her hair and rubbed her shoulder.

Since Thursday, the tsunami of memories hit me strong. One moment storms of thoughts flowed; the next moment brought a quiet, peaceful gratitude. There are many memories of drinking tea with my mom. It was her daily ritual.

My mom was a lover of all sorts of tea. If the tea leaves could tell their story of her life, it would be a fascinating 80 year journey. She saw many changes in her lifetime. As Alzheimer’s took so much from her, she remained pleasant and thankful for what she had.

As I watch the tea leaves swirl in my tea kettle today, I’m thankful that I had time with my mom last week. As the future unfolds, I’m going to try my best to be thankful for the people around me who love and inspire me today.