My Swedish mother is my All-Time Hero and Super Trouper. While COVID-19 is raging outside the windows and in the world at large my mother and guardian angel is simultaneously battling three cancers. A woman with an immense fighting spirit that fuels her on, she confronts her personal battle stoically and bravely – guided by “mana”, or a higher life force, and a sense of innate spirituality that sheds light in this dark chapter in her life. Sensitive to the gods that dwell within the universe, my highly spiritual mother has a heightened capacity for empathy and compassion for others. She has been there for me throughout my life and career. Her love, empathy, emotional intelligence and support have provided the platform I needed to stand on and the strength required to deal with ups and downs throughout my own life. Injected with her energy I am hopefully now capable of providing her with the emotional support she needs to keep her spirit burning bright and fight the disease that has taken a hold of her body. While the geographical distance between the two of us is not easy, my support flows her way from a distance and I am with her in spirit.
My mother is bigger than her ordeals, she lights up any room, seduces people with her feistiness, zest and vibrancy and is a storyteller like no other. With a larger than life character she has led a life full of cultural and academic excitement, moving between continents, from Scandinavia across the seas to Oceania. She has experienced the best of both worlds and taught me to embrace all that is beautiful out there and within. She now keeps travelling in her mind during a global COVID lockdown that further restricts her moves. People from all walks of life are drawn to her warm and accommodating personality. She envelops us with her exuberant presence and we never want to let go.
On Mother’s Day May 2020 I celebrate my mother’s personal journey. It has been exciting, adventurous, and rocky all rolled into one. She has taught us that anything is possible with the right mindset. Mind over matter; if there is a will, there is a way.
