In 2019, my mother passed away suddenly from pancreatic cancer. I honestly thought she would bury me. I imagined her in the hospital chair-bed thingy with her crossword puzzle and her Diet Coke, watching over me as I took my last breath.
She went to the dentist three times a year, never missed a well-woman appointment and had the same primary care physician for 26 years. How could cancer take her? How did we all miss the signs? Even after 7 years, I still don't know what to do when I encounter the rites of passage in my life without her.
As I move through perimenopause, I have decided to lean on my friends from the plant kingdom for support. Red Raspberry Leaf has been a kind friend and a tonic to my uterus while she is preparing to give up her child-bearing mission. Damiana is there to ease my mind and in the words of Shania Twain, she makes sure "Man, I feel like a woman," even though creating a new life is no longer possible. The phytoestrogens in Red Clover provide support for the reduced estrogen in my body and sage helps with the excessive sweating of hot flashes. Though I lost my biggest comforter, my mom, my plant friends have come along to love on me, my mind and my uterus. Tend the temple. Heal from within.
-Kandis
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