Daughter

Happy Birthday Mom! We love you and miss you! Hope you're celebrating big :)

Contributed on October 11, 2010 | View Entry

Daughter

The speech I gave at her memorial service: First of all, you better stop crying because you know my mom would say "quit your moping." My mom refused to spend a day of her life being anything but happy. She had three sayings: "It could always be worse." "This too shall pass." "The grass is always greener on the other side." She took everything in stride and never took anything for granted. She knew that life was short, and that she needed to make the best of it while she was here. Even when she was hurting, struggling or just having a hard time, she never gave up. She believed that if you kept a positive attitude, that everything would be okay. And she was right, because she's the mom, and everyone knows that moms know everything. She enjoyed the small things in life. She could never spend enough time at the beach, nor could she ever have a completed garden. She left us strict orders to keep her plants alive, but she knew better than to assign me that task, as I have somehow always managed to leave half of her garden crying for help. I loved taking her shopping with me and forcing her to try on something different than what she usually bought. Something that wasn’t lime green. She loved the color so much that, for a while, my entire apartment was decked out in lime green accessories. My friends all liked to laugh and joke about it. Then I started noticing lime green accessories popping up in their apartments. My mom just had a certain way about her that rubbed off on others, especially her warm personality. She never missed anyone's birthday or any important event. Even the smallest accomplishment would get her excited, and she'd tell you, "I knew you could do it, you just have to put your mind to it." It didn't matter who you were, she wanted to see everyone do well. I believe that's what made her an awesome teacher and a great friend, because she was always there, encouraging you every step of the way. All through college, when I had classes that I just couldn't stand, she would tell me to go in there with a smile on my face and just do it, because the sooner I did that, the sooner it would be over. I'm sure many of her students were told the same thing, right after she gave them a detention and made them write the definition of "run" for running their mouth in class. If you've never looked up the definition of run, then you should know that it was a page and half long in the dictionary. Ask any of her former students and they will tell you they are still terrified of having to write the definition of run. I'm not sure she even knew the definition herself, as my mom could talk for hours. She would talk you out the door, down the driveway, and to your car. A good friend of mine described her as the type of person that you could sit with and talk for hours, and that it was just as comfortable to sit in complete silence with her – although that was a rare moment. She never ran out of things to talk about. She was proud of everyone in her life, and loved to brag about everyone’s accomplishments. She would call you just to let you know she was thinking about you. She always made time for everyone, on top of everything else she had going on. I’m not quite sure how she managed to balance everything, but she was, without a doubt, Supermom. When she knew something needed to get done, she just did it. No complaints, no procrastinating. I believe she accomplished everything she set out for in life. Someday, I hope I can be as thoughtful, dedicated, and loving as my mom was to her family, friends and students. As I look around, I know that she will be dearly missed but I know that there are so many wonderful people here who will keep her spirit alive. I hope you will take comfort in knowing that she is watching over all of us, keeping us safe, and making sure that we all take the time to enjoy life.

Contributed on September 1, 2010 | View Entry