My Other Mother

Nothing like Gayle’s homemade chili wafting throughout her home To make even the hardest heart feel comforted and less alone I met an earth angel when I was a merely sixteen and a half Her spirit was as inviting and as contagious as her laugh The very first moment we met I felt I had known her forever Perhaps in another life I was her daughter and her my mother Tears rush to my eyes and my heart leaps as I write and weep As it speaks volumes of how my connection to her is so deep Immediately drawn to her beauty which resonates warmth and compassion I longed to be just like her, with the same values, integrity and passion Older than I, yet youthful and beaming with such strong intense light Gayle is unusually gorgeous, significantly intelligent and bright Twenty six years later I receive a call and she is there for me like before Not just to share my grief for the loss of my father but much more A white flower bouquet, a ‘Care of the Soul,’ book, a card depicting a work of art Filled with her original loving words and a talk that healed my heart Still to this day she is my idol, my guru, my mentor, my ‘other,’ mother Her abilities are immense her talents are many and her spirit like no other With the originality of Martha Stewart she wraps gifts and decorates her house Cooks a feast like Emeril, writes like Thomas Moore and sings like Alison Krauss A phenomenal writer, and college professor, there is nothing she can’t teach She resides in harmony with nature in a chateau overlooking the beach In my next time around when I have self actualized enough to deserve less strife I hope to be her, with all her wisdom and spiritual depth, and have her exact life