Remembering Mom

Richard & I get the Hartford Courant every Thursday and Sunday. I must admit that we subscribe to have easy access to the store ads (food, pharmacy, and other places to compare prices for things we need). So I rarely read the actual paper. But today as I flipped through the stack, my eye caught the title of an article under the picture of a beautiful woman holding up a smiling baby. The article was "Left With Love - Coping With My Mother's Death, One Step At A Time". 

I thought about our Mom. Tomorrow makes 16 years since she passed away. I feel I'm still coping with her death because I think of her so often. 

So much has changed in those years - Barbie, Dad and Judy went to join her in heaven; we all grew up, and those of us that were grown up have grown old. Fear of terrorist and global warming are pushed into our thoughts daily via our obsession with technology - hating to surrender our time to it, but afraid of missing something if we don't. 

Yes, time marches on, but not everything is gloom and doom. We've had weddings, graduations, grandchildren, and other wonderful events. And through it all, the memory of Mom is there. And our love for each other is always there too. I credit Mom and Dad for that - we just can't stay mad at family for long, no matter what the circumstances are. And we include everyone, absent or present, living or gone, in our celebration of good times.  

So, back to the newspaper article. It is a heartfelt and well written story. But the one thing that stood out for me was a short reflection the author heard at church. It said:

     

"Love doesn't die, people do.

So when all that's left of me is love

Give me away."

Enjoy your weekend and the beautiful colors of fall. I can almost hear Mom exclaiming "Oh, the trees are so lovely - I just want to paint them!"   I love you all!