My Mom & Me ~ We got by with Zen LOVE!

Thinking about my Mom today! She has been gone 3 decades. I look at our picture together every morning while I do my stretches, since it is on the wall in front of my exercise bench. This photo is one of 3 photos that I have of us together. It is from the late 50's, I was maybe 6 years old? I had it reprinted several years ago, and I hand-tinted it with oils. It has gone through many resolutions, including uploading this one, so it's not perfect, but to me it is perfection. My dad and brother were in this photo too, but for today on Mother's Day, I cropped them out! This is sadly the ONLY photo I have of all us together! 

Our family was filled with love, but also sickness, sorrow and pain. You see, my Mom was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when she was pregnant with me in 1953. My brother is 2 years older, so he had a Mom to care for him who was not sick at the time of his birth. I am so grateful my parents had quality time together during their courtship and early marriage with the birth of their first son. I have many pictures of them smiling and looking oh so glamorous in the late 40's and early 50's! I cherish those photos when she was just beginning her love affair with my Dad, and starting their life chapter as newlyweds and first time parents. 

I will never understand why her destiny suddenly took a devastating turn in her early adult life? To get a diagnosis of MS in the early 1950's was difficult without MRI's, but she exhibited all the symptoms in succession and then some in remission. There were no medications to reverse her suffering at that time, in fact it is still a dreadful diagnosis nowadays, but there are more options for a better quality of life, but sadly no cure yet. 

I wrote an essay this morning about our love and lives together, it can be read in full on the Zen Essay page. 

The first piano song I ever wrote was for my Mom, I call it: "Mother and Daughter's Love". I will include the lyrics below and a link to listen on SoundCloud. 

Happy Mother's Day Mom, I miss you and love you always! You are my hero and angel. I hope you are celebrating a Zenful Afterlife, and I hope one day we will be together again in laughter and Zen Love!

Mom and Me in 1959 ?

"Mother and Daughters Love" by Marlene Rose Besso

Tell me why oh why oh?
Tell me why oh why oh?
Did we share such sadness
in both our lives
in both our lives

Tell me why oh why oh?
Tell me why oh why oh?
Mother and daughters destiny
brokenhearted dreams
in sickness, sorrow and pain.

But we got by with love.
I forgive you mother dear.
Please forgive me too.
And I will always love you.

All Rights Reserved 2013 Lyrics and Piano Music created by Marlene Rose Besso 2/4/2012

My Glamorous Mom