more from the void

Last night I received an IM from mom.
"Can I call you?"
The wording and the tone of her message told me something was up. As I dialed her number a variety of scenarios ran through my mind. All of the scenarios featured sister, of course.
Mom didn't waste time.
"Grandmother has breast cancer," she says.
Apparently the small lump found in her mammogram came back as malignant. I've never been close to my grandparents so the news wasn't as crushing as it might be for others.
I can't explain this distant relationship. We've never been close.
Through all of the things that have happened over the past couple of years I have always worried about mom and dad, especially mom. Her daughter is a lost person (sister has a court date tomorrow and faces the real possibility of jail-time, which would be a relief, in my opinion) and now her mother has breast cancer. She tells me she is handling everything relatively well yet wakes up in the middle of the night biting her bottom lip, teeth clenched. When I think of mom's pain an image comes to my mind. The image is not of my mother but of a person struggling to cope with painful truths. This image is not of my mother but of a person, alone. She tells me that stepdad has been providing wonderful support, but ultimately, she must deal with these things by herself.
In a recent conversation with JKiss we discussed our parents and grandparents. I told him of how strange it is to see your mom and dad not as parents, but as individuals...as human beings. They stare into the same mirror but see a different reflection. What do they see? What do you see?

mc