Make it a Beautiful One

By now, most of you who keep up on Mom’s blog know that she left her journal for us and that I have been gradually making my way through it.  She filled it with regular accounts of her days and, often, drew a sketch or painted a watercolor.  There is a reoccurring theme throughout every page of pure happiness and absolute joy for the little pleasures in life.  Even her rare entry where she describes her hardest moments; the treatments, the pain, the disappointing test results, the side effects, her emotional challenges… she always managed to end on the positive.  Most of what she wrote was about all the wonderful things she felt life gave her, and almost every page speaks of its beauty, wonders and her own personal luck. 

In November, 2010, she opened by describing the splendor of her view; the snow covered foothills that filled her heart from sunrise until sundown.  She moved into writing about all the projects she had going and the joy of keeping her hands busy; she called her studio “a dream.”  And then she shared more about her good fortune to have the things she had, especially after starting with so little as a young couple:

“As teenagers (married and pregnant) we aspired to make ends meet and demonstrate to the nay sayers that we could do a good job.  It was a day to day life, but our determination and hard work, resulted in so much more than one can expect.  Can you tell that I love my life?"

Mom was speaking of what her hard work resulted in for her; a comfortable life with an area where she could create things for others and play with her friends and family in.   But I know first-hand how much more came from it.  And I also know for certain that she never truly grasped what all her hard work did for others. 

Many people benefited from my mother’s ability to see that all things were possible and that by working selflessly and thoughtfully everyone would have a chance to benefit.  The YMCA and a group of incredible individuals recognized what Mom left behind and held a room naming and ribbon cutting in her honor; to remind the community exactly what those things were. 

I was not able to attend, but friends were sending photos and messages to give me the play by play and several sent word afterwards that it was a very nice event and that they definitely want to start having parties in the terrific room!

Mom loved getting people together and creating memories so I can’t think of anything better for that room than making sure it gets used by the community and friends she loved.

My brother-in-law took a set of photos and I have selected a handful to share; making sure to pick some of all those who helped make the day special.  I’ll probably add a few more over time...