The world is a little darker today.
July 6, 2008
The beautiful Andrea Collins Smith, also known as Punk Rock Mommy, passed away yesterday morning. She’s a mom to six amazing kids, battled breast cancer for a year, and chronicled it in a way that constantly blew me away.
I don’t know Andrea or her family in real life, only what they shared this past year. What they shared makes me want to be a better mom, a better person, and to be so much more grateful every day I walk this earth.
Earlier this week, A.’s husband, Kelly, wrote, “Let me be there , let me find you. let me clean you up and hold you for a while, let me give you the drugs to ease your pain as you slip away. let me be your husband and love you till the end.”
And that is what happened, and for that I’m glad.
If you get a chance, read some of what Andrea wrote this past year. You won’t walk away unchanged. She prepared a final blog post some time ago, as well as birthday cards for all of her children for the next few years. (That broke my heart, but also impressed me very much.) In her final post, she writes,
“I learned that all the small stuff is very small and not worth your time and attention. Gossip and resentments,worrying about things that never happen, fearing the unknown. Let it go my lovelies, breath and just be good to each other.”
I’ll be here trying, Andrea, and I hope to meet you in the next life.
xoxo,
L
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July 6th, 2008 at 5:15 am
How very sad. What an amazing and unique family, though. I know they will go on to great things.
July 6th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
I did read some of her stuff when I first started reading you, L, it was so heartbreaking, I couldn’t get through it then. Very Sad, Binks
July 7th, 2008 at 10:03 am
I just heard about her passing this morning. So terrible…but she left such a legacy.
July 7th, 2008 at 10:28 am
It is truely heartbreaking. We can all learn something from her.
July 7th, 2008 at 11:00 am
She really did. It’s hard for me to understand how she kept it together the way she did. But I truly admire it.
July 7th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
So sad, but truly life-affirming. Condolescences.
July 7th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Very sad. I read this earlier today. I think her husband plans to keep her online journal (she hated the word “blog”) going. Hopefully he will.
July 7th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
I followed the twitter links over to her blog and I feel sad that I had to discover it after she passed. She is going to be my late-night reading for a while.
P.S. I’ve totally been lurking on your site and I am finally being a big girl and commenting. I LOVE your blog design! And, “keeping your inner Janis alive” – that is so right on.
July 7th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Heather, thanks so much! I just read about your trip to SF and you and Mike are on my reading list.
I hope he will, Mike…he’s been another amazingly strong one. Speaking of strong dads, I loved your post about Maddie today also. She has such a sweet little face.