Remembrance

Mom’s obituary was posted recently. Unbeknownst to us, there’s a public guestbook, which is filled with wonderful comments of memory and support. We found out about the comments from a family friend who came to the visiting hours yesterday.

Yesterday was bittersweet, to say the least. We arrived early with my grandmother, mom’s mom, and had a good long cry. A steady stream of friends and colleagues arrived to pay their respects. I met a lot of people for the first time last night, but so many of them said that they felt like they knew me from what mom had told them.

My aunt, dad’s sister, observed not only the sheer number of people who came, but also the amazing number of different organizations they all represented: mom worked with a lot of groups – local, national, and international – and left a real mark on the world. Her work will be carried on as best as it can by those who she touched. She was a role model for all of us.

There was an undeniable energy throughout the funeral home. The love and respect being exhibited for my mom really helped me make it through the day. There were as many people smiling and laughing as there were sniffling and crying. Mom’s legacy was positive: she followed her passion her entire life, and she was a joyful, loving person. She spread that joy and love everywhere she went.

Dad and I coordinated with Kyle, my son, to help him come up for the service. His plane arrived last just after visiting hours, so Carina and I went to pick him up. We introduced him to the family at Dad’s house, and though I’m sure he was overwhelmed by the number of people, it was extremely nice to have him with us. Mom was always so thoughtful toward him and his Texas family; and she would have really liked to have met him. Kyle’s a remarkable young man.

Today we’ll have the funeral mass, but we’re not going to bury mom’s remains until Tuesday. Dad wants to make it a private family event, so that we can spend today visiting with the people who’ve come from all over.