As posted in Facebook...

It has been 10 days since my mother has passed away unexpectedly. I am still in shock as she was healthy and very active. It is hard to find words to describe how sad her passing has been to myself and those around her. As my sister said at the funeral this past Monday, it would have been nice to have 1 more day, but she died in peace and is in a better place now. The past 10 days have been very difficult, but spending time healing together with 3 generations of family and friends has been very comforting. My aunts and uncles are exceptional people and full of life, and seeing my nephew come back from Pensacola in his navy uniform made me so proud. Those moments helped in this difficult period. And using the time to learn more about my mother from her brothers and sisters has only added to the admiration I have for her. She endured much over her life but persevered through her strong will, strength of character and her warm and loving personality. I really believe her life triumph was her children as she gave so much to us over her lifetime and spoke so often of us. She had so much energy and was so full of life, at times it was hard to keep up with her even as she got older. I believe her passion for traveling was only surpassed by her passion for her children. She remained intimately close to all of us, and always shared her time with us even when she was working long hours and weekends during some of our family’s hardest challenges.

I have so many memories of my mother which are very dear to me. In the past week, I spent most of my time recalling those early days of childhood when we lived in New Jersey growing up. Things seemed so uncomplicated and innocent back then especially in the playful carefree way we spent our time together. All through a turbulent decade which saw the civil rights movement, Vietnam war, social activists and of course, the Beatles, she created our own little version of Camelot. Those memories seem like only yesterday. Just as were those memories of the more recent years when we visited each other or spoke on the phone. She loved her books and we often talked about the latest ones we read. She always had book recommendations. She also loved to share her adventures with everyone and many a story came from those adventures over the years. My brothers, sisters and many friends often call me the storyteller, but I know where my storytelling skills came from. My mother’s ability to tell stories easily surpasses mine and were far more interesting.

I realize many in my FB friend list knew my mother and I apologize for not communicating earlier, but it was very hectic and emotional for us the past week. The service has already passed, but if you would like to view some of the memories, or add your own memory, here is the link to the service site.

http://www.mannslonakerfuneralhome.com/…/service-details.php

I loved my mother deeply and admired her so much. I know she is still watching over us, but I also know she is confident that she raised us well enough to continue our journey through life now without her. It has only been 10 days, but I miss her so much already.

Mom, thank you for being you!