It has been
a struggle with what to say as a final tribute to my Mother, that powerful, tough spirit, that strong will, that smart, beautiful,
talented woman. I wrote page after page,
and finally decided none of it was working for me.
Yesterday,
when I told my husband that nothing I was writing captured my Mom and my profound
feelings and emotions at this final loss, he said to me, “share what is in your
heart.” So, I threw it all out and began
again.
And this, family
and friends, is what is in my heart:
Thank you
all. Thank you for being here. Thank you for your support. Thank you to those of you who have patiently
listened to me, cried with me, and talked me through some really hard
times. Thank you for sharing your wisdom
and experience with me, and thank you for giving me the strength to endure
these many, many difficult years.
Thank you
to two special boys, my grandsons, for bringing new life, new hope, new joy, and new love
into my heart. You are dear to me and so wonderful!
Thank you
to my Mother’s care-givers.
What Mom's family lacked in ability and patience, you provided in
bucket loads. You fed her and made sure
she was nourished, kept her clean, kept her busy and made sure she was
challenged and entertained. And in the
end, after so many years, you became her family too. My sister and I cannot thank you enough.
It is because of all of you, propping me up and giving me strength, that I have been able
to make it through these many, many challenging years. I am grateful to each of you. Without you, I don't see how I could face the awfulness that is disease called Alzheimer's.
