Gentle Bloom Series Backstory

Every year I think about something I can do, even in a small way for me to celebrate my Mama’s life. She passed away two years ago, one week before she would’ve turned 80. Last year, we sold bunches of dahlias to friends and family in partnership with Bay Area Cancer Connections (BACC). The generosity and hear of Kellie and the BACC team were unbelievable.

I was my Mom’s meditation guide. I learned a lot from being in that role. The biggest lesson was realizing that sometimes I was teaching her based of my own desires and intentions, instead of fully connecting with what she wanted and needed. There were times when she was tired, but she would still do breath work with me. She did everything she could to survive cancer and live longer.

It was hard for me to come back to meditation after Mama passed. Grief was like a fire-breathing dragon resting in my chest. It wasn’t always breathing fire, but when it did, it burned.

When I eventually came back to meditation, there was one time where I noticed how much guilt I had buried in my body. I wrote a story about it as a creative arts project for the healing school I attend. It’s in the next story.

I miss Mama every day. Designing this series is one way for me to honor her life by serving people whose lives are affected by cancer.