What type of relationship has Lily had with her mother before her mother got sick?

After Lily's mother gets sick, Lily remembers all the things they used to do. Her mother would make cookies and chat with friends at the kitchen counter. Sometimes she would pick Lily up from school, and they would drive to the Medicine Lake Refuge to bird watch. Lily enjoyed the drives with her mother and confiding in her about school--the good and the bad. Her mother knew everything about her.