My Mother (1920-2010)
My mother died on May 16, 2010 and I am dedicating this post to her.
Her funeral was a memorable occasion filled with the bitterness of loss and the sweetness of celebrating her life. Her family was present, two children, five grandchildren, two great grandchildren, daughter and son-in-law, grandchildren-in-law, as well as many members of our extended family, and friends. In her heartfelt eulogy my eldest niece called my mother a matriarch. This is an apt description. My mother was a strong, independent woman to whom our extended family looked for, and were generously given, unconditional support. She was the conduit through whom we all connected. On the night she had a stroke several years ago, she had called family members around the globe to wish them New Year greetings. It was so painful to watch as the devastation of the stroke took her independence, almost all of her speech and eventually her mobility. She endured three years in a wheelchair without complaint and with an indomitable will not to succumb without a fight to the inevitability of death. Not for one moment did she go gently into that dark night.
My mother had a remarkable life spanning almost a century. She was born in Africa and died in North America. Left motherless at the age of two, she was the second of three siblings. After a happy marriage my mother was widowed at forty-nine, and shortly thereafter became a cancer survivor. When she turned sixty she emigrated to be with her son (my brother) and his young family. She set about building a new life in a strange country. Her friendliness and willingness to try new ventures, brought her happiness and many new friends.
My mother was a lady in the best sense of that word. Always dressed with appropriate flair and style, she warmly carried that propriety into all her relationships. She never missed a grandchild’s graduation either from high school, college or grad school. She provided a haven for her often harried family, cooking familiar and well-loved foods. She always had the right words for each occasion, and a gift whenever appropriate. She was a political junkie and hardly ever missed the BBC news on the radio and TV. She had a soft spot for Bill and Hilary Clinton and Pierre Trudeau. She loved watching tennis and golf and had a soft spot for Jim Courier, Roger Federer, and Tiger Woods. She loved playing bridge. She was a knitter and her family treasure the blankets she knitted for us. My mother loved walking, nature, and being out-of-doors. She was an avid reader with weekly visits to the library. She survived cancer, heart attacks, several falls resulting in broken shoulders and hips, and through it all she maintained her dignity, her compassion and her interest in all the family “doings” and the events in the world at large.
In her last years as she endured increasing discomfort from being wheelchair bound and from the effects of the slow debilitating deterioration of her advancing age, so my admiration and love for her grew exponentially.
A mother is irreplaceable and there is a hole inside of me.
Now, Mom, you know the mystery of the bourn from which no one returns. Rest in peace.
I’m intrigued at how very engaging this informative article is, especially on this topic. You have hit the nail on the head with this information. Thank you for making your article so easy to understand.
Extermely useful post here. Thanks for sharing your wisdom with me. I’ll certainly be back again.
I like the way in which this article was presented for us to enjoy. It has a certain flair about it that places it first above many that give us a good reason to think.
This article proves that there are quality writers out there that do their research and share their findings with others. Thank you for sharing this.
I’m glad I got to read this article. It would seem we see eye-to-eye on much of this topic. I’m adding this to my favorites.
This is a great article with well-scripted, engaging content that is full of original and sensible views. Much of your informative content is in line with my way of thinking.
The quality of this article surpasses many others I’ve read. You have a keen eye for detail and your research was solid on this subject.
I’m impressed, I have to say. Really not often do I encounter a blog that’s each educative and entertaining, and let me inform you, you have got hit the nail on the head. Your concept is outstanding; the difficulty is something that not sufficient persons are speaking intelligently about. I’m very blissful that I stumbled across this in my seek for one thing relating to this.
Thanks for writing this blog and sharing it with the world. I would like to know how to go for reading your rss blog. Please let me know if possible.
This is the perfect blog for anyone who wants to know about this topic. You know so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I really would want…HaHa). You definitely put a new spin on a subject thats been written about for years. Great stuff, just great!
I have researched the topic intensively and this is the best article yet. Great job !
It would be gratifying to read more content like this. You are truly a great writer and you have a home run here. Thank you.
Yours is a very unique informational article. Your fresh views persuaded me to be thoughtful about this subject. It’s obvious you have provoked thought in other readers with your material.
This is my first time i visit here. I found so many intriguing stuff in your web site specifically its discussion. From the tons of opinions on your articles and reviews, I guess I am not the only one having all the enjoyment here! keep up the great work. My kind regards, Chere.
I really like it when I read an article that proves there are writers out there that can get their point across without confusing the topic. This is excellent work.
This article is full of some well-researched information. You have made valid points in a unique way. Since this has made me think, I will have to review some aspects.
It’s gratifying to see that your article confirms my viewpoint. I couldn’t have said this better myself. You’ve really gone above and beyond with this article. Thank you very much.
Whatever you’re doing, don’t stop. This is some of the best content I’ve read anywhere in a long time. You’ve really hit the nail on the head with this in my opinion. Keep it up.
I really liked reading your article. It’s very insightful and unique. Your points are well presented and easy to understand. Thanks for your quality content.
You’ve gone to a lot of effort in researching and writing this article. I share your viewpoints on this topic and appreciate your interesting thoughts.
This is what good writing is made of; interesting, engaging, intelligent and well-written content. This is exactly what I see in your article. Thank you.
I am trying to imagine how much work it took for you to write this amazing article, but I can’t. I’m sure you researched and did a lot of thinking to make these interesting points.
I wouldn’t normally be so intrigued by content on this topic but the way you wrote this really grabbed my attention. It is very well thought out and interesting informative content. Thank you for sharing!
It’s evident that you have gone to a lot of trouble researching and writing this information. I share your viewpoint and believe you have represented it in a unique way.
I wanted to let you know how impressed I am with this content. You’ve cleared a lot up for many readers in this article. Thanks for all this great information.
It’s apparent you are dedicated to excellent writing. I truly related to the main points mentioned in this writing. This is really great original information.
I homeschool my two teenagers and when I found this article I knew I had to make them read it. They did and we all really learned something from it. Thank you for helping us.
I very much enjoyed reading your informative article. I do agree with a lot of your original material and believe it to be quite interesting.
It has been a long time since I’ve read anything so informative and compelling. I’m waiting for the next article from the writer. Thank you.
where can I learn more about this? thanks!
I like how this article is direct. The main points are accurate, unique and interesting in my opinion. There aren’t many articles with great content out there like this one.
I can tell the you went above and beyond in your research for this information. I’m really impressed with your writing ability and thought process.
I just have to tell you that you have really outdone yourself with this quality article presentation. I am very fascinated with the points you make here and I am in complete agreement with you.
Howdy there, just became alert to your blog through Ask, and found that it is really informative. I’m going to check out for new articles. I will appreciate if you keep posting this in future. Numerous people will get help from your writing. Bye!
The quality of this informative article is very high. This can only mean your own standards are set at a very high level. Please, continue your work in this area.
I like material like this. This is a great article and I really enjoyed reading it. You have an original style that makes your ideas stand out from other writers.
How much digging did you have to do for this great article. I may be assuming you researched this, but if you didn’t this is very informative and interesting material. Thanks for sharing this information.
It’s satisfying to see a writer with high standards like yours. I know this from reading your article. You have a lot of useful information.
This article is informative content I grasp. Your points are very clear and well-written. I agree with you on several of your points. Thank you.
Your content is nothing short of brilliant in many ways. I think this is engaging and eye-opening material. Thank you so much for caring about your content and your readers.
I differ with most people here; I found this blog post I couldn’t stop until I finished, even though it wasn’t just what I had been searching for, was still a nice read though. I will instantly get your blog feed to stay in touch of any updates.
I’ve been absent for some time, but now I remember why I used to love this blog. Thanks , I’ll try and check back more frequently. How frequently you update your site?
I read through your article and some of your readers’ comments. I agree with a lot of your content and concur with many of these comments on how well your material is written. Thank you.
How often I wind up reading dull and poorly written online commentary. This article was a refreshing change from all that. You make great points and present them in an interesting way. It’s just smashing.
Thought-provoking articles are few and far between from what I’ve been reading as of late. You have a real gem here. It has really created a lot of thought in me and I thank you.
Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge on this subject. I agree with a great deal of your material. This is very good information.
I ran across this post very helpful we available on yahoo.I appreciate you for sharing these details.
This article was written by a real thinking writer. I agree many of the with the solid points made by the writer. I’ll be back.
Undeniably believe that which you stated. Your favorite justification seemed to be on the web the easiest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I certainly get annoyed while people think about worries that they just don’t know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top as well as defined out the whole thing without having side effect , people could take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks
It’s not often an informational article engages me enough to continue reading it, but this information is well written and interesting. You kept my interest from beginning to end. This is a very good article.