Distinguished Women

Solana Rae

This month we want to honor a very special Mother for Mothers Day. This Mom doesn't live in this region, as a matter of fact, she lives on the other side of the country. She lives in California.

Sometimes a person doesn't have to be existing in a region to affect the region. This is a very special story, a Mothers Day Story about the abilities of enduring love.

Motherhood has it's own strong hold on the emotion of love for our children. We all want to see our children grow up, stay healthy, and find happiness. This is a spoken heartfelt "given" of all Mother's. Sometimes, somehow, something happens. The "given" we so often take for granted, is not our reality. We wake up one day, and our whole world has changed. The simple comforts of existence have all turned upside down. The most unspoken heartfelt "given" has been laid upon our souls. A new enemy is among us. Oh, everyone has heard about it, this enemy that has seeded itself in others, but this doesn't happen to us. It most certainly doesn't happen to our child. . . or does it?

It did to my sister. She is a mother of two beautiful girls. They are only 10 months apart in age. The youngest, Solana, now 24 years old, is suffering with progressive MS. Only yesterday I spoke to my sister, JoAnn, the Mother I am dedicating this Mothers Day to. She has moved through the past several months showing her daughter more love and care than seems humanly possible. Surely wouldn't we all? She told me how happy she was that all of our family, spread across the United States, was able to be there in California in the past couple weeks to show Solana how much we loved her.

"You have sent a spirit amongst us that will shine like Sunshine..."

Solana is now seeing Angels. There were four of them in the room when she accepted one Aunt's cry for a priest. When the priest formed a prayer circle around her of family members, Solana, who had not spoken a word in days, was able to pray the Lords Prayer, audible for all to hear. Every hair on her head sparkled with the Sunshine of her name Solana Rae. Her hands we're manicured to perfection. Her heart was content, filled with the purest love, able to see and believe in the Angels send to comfort her. Solana is my sisters Angel. She made sure she knew that.

Everyone was given a special position in Solana's last days. My sister , this very special mother, found a way in all of her own hidden heartache, to make sure that everyone else felt they were doing everything right. It's so hard to know what is the right thing to comfort the hearts of people you love so much at a time like this. But JoAnn knew. JoAnn and her fabulous husband, took pictures, lots of pictures, to capture every precious moment possible. She smiled and showed so much love, she laid with Solana, she filled her days with beautiful music, she spread protective wings of a Mother Angel around her daughters, and her home. She moved through these days with the wisdom of our Lords words, "The greatest is Love" She set out to make each moment a time spent in peace. Never could any of us understand the depth of emotions of the situation that intimately had possessed her spirit, merged together in perfect harmony with Solana, creating the deepest care possible of a Mothers Love.

Today we are wordless, sometimes tearful, sometimes even angry. All the Why's of the reality of this disease stir us, as they stirred JoAnn when she learned of Solana's illness several years ago. JoAnn has moved to a stage of acceptance, found only in the Holy Spirit, and gave that to Solana. Solana in return, filled with the Holy Spirit, found acceptance, and God's peace was upon her. As Angels filled her room, she would tell her loving sister, Missy all about them. Today she can no longer speak. Through her Mothers Love, we all know that her spirit has merged with the peace JoAnn wanted so much to give to her. We all have so many special moments in our lives to share with our children. On this Mothers Day, let us look to each moment as precious memories to be cherished. May we all seek to create the peace and love JoAnn showed, in all of our children daily. Since a Mothers love is so very special, this Mothers Day, JoAnn, you have sent a spirit amongst us that will shine like Sunshine, as you set the example of what a Mothers Love should be.

Many people, especially women are afflicted with Multiple Sclerosis in the WNY region. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has just committed $10 Million to support 25 new MS research projects over the next three to five years. This website is dedicated to bring the women in the WNY region together to concentrate on a cure, through raising funds for the research in hopes of expediting the years of research for the cure of this most debilitating disease.

If you would like to share a spiritual experience with wnywomen.com, we would feel blessed to share your stories with our readers.

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