Stepmom

The night my mom was diagnosed with cancer, before I went to bed I told her, "I guess this means I can't watch 'Stepmom' ever again." The Julia Roberts flick was a favorite of ours. We laughed and welled up and went to bed. Two a half years later, she was gone.

Now it's been eight years since she died, and my prophecy has come true: As of Friday, October 1, I will have a stepmom. Her name is Susan and she's about to become my dad's wife and a stepmom to me and my brother.

I wish I could tell my mom that having a stepmom isn't at all like the movie 'Stepmom', or the evil women in Disney flicks, or the other horror stories you may hear. For me, having Susan is a second chance for my dad to have a wife, and a second chance for me to have a mom. It means one day I'll have someone to help me plan a wedding or calm a colicky kid or, for now, just to call on my lunch break for a midday chit-chat and some laughs. As a lot of you know, few things in life are as simple and wonderful as a mother-daughter chit-chat.

I miss my mom, and I especially miss her this week, and as my brother so wisely said, I'll always miss her. But I know she would be so happy and welcoming to my family's newest member.

Susan, you're stuck with us, and we're so lucky to have you.