Hi Dr. Laura,
This is in response to your blog about your friend Karen. I've been blessed to have had two Karen's in my life. They were sisters. One is my mom; the other was my Aunt Ruthie. I was 15 when our family lost our darling Aunt Ruth to colon cancer, which she'd bravely battled for 8 years. She was the epitome of love, grace, kindness... Days before she passed, my brother brought his girlfriend to the hospital to meet her. She was dying, yet Aunt Ruthie insisted on getting out of bed to meet who would turn out to be my future sister-in-law and give her a hug. As she shrunk in size, lost her hair, endured brutal chemo and radiation therapy, I NEVER ONCE saw her without a loving twinkle in her eye and a big smile on her face. Not once did my mother hear her complain. We lost her in 1984, and to this day, my brothers and I get tears in our eyes when we talk about Aunt Ruth. She made a tremendous impact on our young lives.
Our own mother is VERY much like her older sister. I've never met a person who didn't absolutely fall in love with her after meeting her. She's one of those people that when you are in her presence, you just feel loved. I'm amazed every day by what a beautiful person she is, and Dr. Laura, she instilled the same wifely values in me that you stress to your audience. One of the things I've come to rely on her though, is her honesty. She's incredibly wise, and does not take DNA sides - she tells me if my husband is right, and I'm acting like a brat. I am so thankful for her, and with Mother's Day coming up, hearing you speak of your pending loss, I wanted to share.
Thanks for all you do.
Julie
