03/11/2026
I have begun writing my book. This is a snippet of a story that will be included in this epic journey. ......
There was a time when both my parents fell ill at once, and I was caught between two worlds. My father was recovering in a bright, hopeful rehab facility; my mother was in a failing nursing home. They loved each other, and I couldn’t bear the thought of them apart, so I pleaded with a case manager. I asked her to move my mother so they could be together, but she shut me out. The two hospitals—Advocate Christ for my father, Holy Cross for my mother—had no connection. My mother was sent to a place that offered no care, while I stood between them, exhausted, with my six-month-old baby in a carrier. I remember stepping outside, weighed down by grief, and as I looked up at the sky, I whispered, "Please help me. I can’t do this alone." And then, from a flower bed beside me, a swarm of butterflies took flight all at once. In that simple, breathtaking moment, I felt peace. I didn’t know then that my mother was nearing the end, but those butterflies reminded me that, even when I was broken, there was a universe inside me—guiding me, holding me, helping me take one step forward at a time.
