giddyup, i'm sorry that you and your family are going through this and may your mother rest in peace. +++
I'm really sorry, giddy. I called my Mom and talked to her for half an hour. Didn't tell her why. My heartfelt sympathies. Words are pretty useless at times like this. Hang in there, buddy.
We had a family birthday dinner for my two little girls Friday night just a few hours after my mom had passed. We waited to tell the them, ages 7 and 5, until after the party. I explained as best I could what had happened and tried to make them understand it as part of the natural process of living. My oldest daughter came over to me after we had finished and offered me a big hug and said: "Dad, I'm sorry that you've lost your mother..." She seemed more interested in how she died and, I think, equated it to something she was learning in school about Native Americans dying from diseases like Smallpox. She was so cute in her intensity to share her knowledge... My younger daughter, I could tell, was a bit more moved. I could see her blinking back tears. I focused some more on her to get a better reading and better resolve on the event. We encouraged her that it was right and normal to cry and to feel sad. She said a couple of times: "You're making my eyes water..." She ended up snuggling with her mom. They were both very sweet in their own ways. Due to youth, distance, and frail health neither of them had spent more than a week or so in the company of my mother. They would get on the phone with her and they certainly knew that I was talking to her almost every day for the past year. We had plenty of photos around. The grieving just wells up from time to time. We are certainly complex creatures. Let your loved ones know that you love them. My last couple of months were dedicated to making my Mom laugh (coulda used you Another Brother...). I know that she appreciated it immensely. Your loved ones will too.
giddyup, Once again, I want to share with you my condolences. I thought about it several times about how lucky you were to speak with your Mom one last time. God certainly worked to have you pick up the phone earlier than you would have. I called my Mom last night to tell her I love her. All the best and you are in our prayers.
Well I'm still here and if you need something else just holla at me, hell I'd even get in on someone else's show if you needed a little chuckle. Sounds like you made her proud and as I told my Mom about this she assured me I had and it's the only thing that really matters. Take care of yourself and you know where to find me!
Giddyup; Sorry I missed this thread earlier and my deepest condolences are with you and your family. It sounds like your mom lived a full life, and while that may not ease your family's pain at the moment at least it was a full life with a loving family.
WOW. I am sure your mom is in a great place now and she left knowing she had a great family to care for her. Thank you for sharing your stories. I have two girls of my own with whom I will share some cool stories. Reading yours just shows me we're all human and can find a way to show our love. Q.E.P.D. su mamá, Giddyup.
I've spent parts of the last few days calling old friends of my parents to let them know of Mom's passing. This might sound tedious, but it's not at all. Most of the folks have the natural urge to want to take the time to tell me some wonderful stories about the times they had with my parents. I could just listen and listen and listen. I wish I had more folks to call but so many have pre-deceased her... I called my best friend from high school who now lives in Galveston. He was quite shaken. He lost his dad suddenly to a heart attack about two years after my dad passed in 2001. Quite a few of my and my brothers' friend from the high school era considered my Mom to be their second mother. She took great interest in them and they noticed and appreciated it... and still remember it after all these years. RIP, Mom. We love and miss you.
