Left Behind

   This is a garden decoration that belonged to my step mother, Diana W. Cupp.  I say step mother but she was actually more of a mother to me than my real mother ever was.  My father and her married when I was just a child.  She helped my father raise four kids, one of which was her own.  Life in a step family definitely had its ups and downs but we were loved, provided for, and taken care of.  She always enjoyed working in her little gardens.  We only had a little yard but she always made room for a few vegetable plants and lots of flowers.  I remember as a kid being so proud to be the only house on the block that had such pretty flowers growing every year.
   A little over two years ago she was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of cancer.  It started out as a barely noticeable bump on the bridge of her nose, as if her glasses were causing some spot of irritation.  The barely noticeable spot quickly turned into a very aggressive cancer and over the next few months consumed her entire face and head.  We thought the chemo would help delay the cancer however, it was as if it only had pissed it off.  She truly fought hard as long as she could but to no avail.  It just wasn't the kind of cancer that could be defeated or even delayed.
   One day after she had lost her battle I was visiting with my father.  As I walked around the yard this statue of hers caught my eye.  As I stood there looking at it, I couldn't help but to think of her beautiful gardens. I wiped away the dirt and the grass clippings for a photo and as I did, I could see the paint chipping and peeling from the statues head and face. I couldn't help seeing the resemblance of the statue's face to her's. This garden statue of her's would just be one of the many things left behind.

For my mother, Diana W. Cupp