Today is . . .
July 29th,
Eleanor Louise,
mom.
Eleanor Louise,
mom.
She saw so much in her life.
The Great Depression, the "modern era of antibiotic discovery",
World War 11, USO dances, the Swing Dance generation,
gave birth to the Baby Boom generation,
the creation of the nuclear age
and the Cold War, the birth of Rock and Roll, the
"summer of love", the Vietnam War, the
Civil Rights movement, Vatican 2, feminism, the
computer age and the birth of social media.
The Presidents she saw ranged from President Harding
to President Obama.
The Presidents she saw ranged from President Harding
to President Obama.
She and her sister, inseparable. A joy. Always ready for a party.
Here, Christmas 2011. Lovely, beautiful.
I've read, that to deal with loss,
speak to her. Write a letter.
Find a place to do just that.
Some find it at the graveside.
Recently, I ran across this passage in anticipation of today.
"There is a time to mourn, to ache, but there is a time to rebuild our lives.
It’s important to celebrate every chance we get.
Life is hard enough. Death comes and taps each of us on the shoulder."
"There is a time to mourn, to ache, but there is a time to rebuild our lives.
It’s important to celebrate every chance we get.
Life is hard enough. Death comes and taps each of us on the shoulder."
And I thought of mom.
Always easy with a smile, a laugh. Ever the optimist.
And I thought of all the things I had learned from her. Even the things
that took her leaving me to understand and appreciate.
And. . . I felt like dancing!
She loved to dance and would laugh and smile to see me
celebrate her life by turning up the Glenn Miller and
swinging to"Chattanooga Choo Choo" or "In the Mood".
Then, I thought about another passage I have read,
“If sorrows and tragedies can literally make us age, then can’t good times, celebrations make us younger?"
So, go on and celebrate!
Mom was certainly young at heart no matter what her chronological age.
I learned that is important to remember in this complicated life that we live.
Then, today, I opened my email and saw this from the realtor:
"Good afternoon All
We are officially closed on 313 Burwood!
This is so very hard for my heart to see.
Mom, how would you feel?
The home you raised your family in.
The home that celebrated birthdays, holidays,
and sorrows.
The home of so many, many memories.
I struggled with this for the longest time.
And I came to realize that above all,
she valued family.
This decision to sell, honored exactly that.
Thank you mom, for giving me peace.
Today, on this July 29th.
