Post
by IronNoggin » Mon Oct 12, 2020 3:49 pm
Mom's services are tomorrow.
We were not able to get permission to go State-side.
So my Brother will be Zooming the services for the benefit of my sister & I as well as any others unable to attend.
He has also agreed to speak the words I need to in my absence:
A Tribute To My Mother
As you gather today to celebrate the life of one of our own, there is no other place Linda and I would rather be. Unfortunately, with the current border restrictions, that is not possible at this time. Rest assured however, that we ARE with you in our hearts and souls.
From my earliest memories, Mom was always and fondly front and center. She was a most extraordinary Lady, and that well showed in the way that she lived, loved, shared, and together with my Father created the warm and loving Family that we became, and still are today. Everyone whose lives she touched both loved and respected her, as has been well indicated by the generous love and support you have all offered us of late.
Growing up under my Parents nurturing was a very special, and very happy time for all of us. They installed in each of us a good sense of morals, respect, love and a grand curiosity of all things. Further, those characteristics and more were then to be passed down to another generation, and then yet again another. Collectively, our lives are a wonderful tribute to both Mom’s and Dad’s lives, and the way they so willingly instilled their precious values in each of us.
Mom’s influence extended widely beyond our own Family. The understanding, patience, determination and love of life was easy to read, easy to relate to and easy to admire. Those characteristics and more meant that her friendship was truly desirable and always respected. Every friend she made well understood this, and became firm friends for life and beyond as a consequence.
Mom’s accomplishments were many. As a scholar she excelled. Her “green thumb” was exemplary, and somehow seemed a fitting tribute to her maiden name: Gardner. Her inquiring and focused mind made her among the finest genealogy researchers this world has produced, and lead to an understanding of our backgrounds that was and is beyond compare. She also excelled with her artistry, and many of us are very pleased to have some of her paintings as precious reminders of that. As for her hunting prowess, her record speaks for itself and is directly reflected in the many of us who continue to follow in those footsteps today.
Perhaps though her greatest accomplishments are reflected in the lives of her family and the incredible role she played in each of those. Sister, Soul Mate & Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother and Best Friend were roles she eagerly engaged and performed to perfection. She touched each and every one of us to the very bottom of our souls. And within each of us she firmly resides there today.
Although Mom has moved on to the next chapter of her journey, I cannot help but believe she was warmly welcomed when she arrived by the many who preceded her. The joy of that reunion can be felt over the chasm that separates us now, and greatly helps us bear the sense of loss we all feel.
I feel Mom’s comforting presence constantly. She is not “gone”, simply moved. Her presence lives in all of us, and her love for each will help guide and nurture us along the paths we now follow. The many wonderful memories fill our hearts and minds, and help us carry on as we should and must. One day we shall reunite ourselves, and once again experience the special joy she carries with her.
I am beyond sad at losing this most marvelous Lady. But at the same time I am beyond Proud to have called her “Mom”. I am comforted knowing she rests in loving company. And I am very happy to have been so lucky as to share my life with one so truly blessed.
We will carry on as you would wish us to, and you will always be there to help guide us Mom. Save each of us a special place at that big dinner table up there, for eventually we will all be seeking to sit with you there once again…
Love you forever…
Matt
"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."
