Mom

One year ago, at 5:15am, my mother's heart gave out.  After an amazing 87 years, my wonderful mother was suddenly gone.

Unheeded, memories flooded my mind of those last few days, those last few precious hours, when I sat beside her bedside.

These memories are torturous, so I've tried to push them away and only remember the good times.

Dad & Mom

As a teenager and young adult, after my brother Bruce got married and moved out, Mom and I bonded in a variety of different ways.  Every afternoon at 3:00, we would have tea and muffins and watch Match Game.  In the evenings, we would play Scrabble, or Cribbage, or Backgammon while watching TV.

Even though I could read myself, Mom would sometimes read books to me so that we could both enjoy them together.  The books included: Gone with the Wind, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Catcher in the Rye, and the Lord of the Ring series.

Parrott Jungle

My18th Birthday at Scarborough Recreation Club for Disabled Adults

When I was 18, I joined the Scarborough Recreation Club for Disabled Adults, and my mother and aunt became volunteers. The off-shoot from that was going up to a lodge in Muskoka with some of  the members of the SRCD.  The three of us went to that lodge for five years.  It always kind of amazed me that my mother not only assisted me with my daily needs while we were up north but also helped me drink booze and gamble until the wee hours of the morning.

Mom Always Knew How to Enjoy Life

Mom, I always said that you were "one of a kind" - and you were/are!  There will never be another person like you.  You were funny and kind and supportive and very open-minded.  You walked that fine line of being both mother and friend so well.

I love you, Mom, and I miss you terribly!