Memories...

Tonight I sat for a while with a couple of Mike's cousins looking at a photo album of years gone by. We laughed at how all the aunts and uncles looked in their youth and we tried to identify those same people in their childhood pictures. We talked about all those past Christmas gatherings when we for a little while, caught up on each other's lives and promised to spend more time together. It was good to just remember.

Tonight's memories come from a loss. The loss of the matriarch of the family. In another couple of months we would have been celebrating her 90th birthday. Instead, tomorrow we will say good-bye one last time. Mamma has always been such a force in the family. She wielded her power and influence easily. She was never afraid to say what was on her mind. In the last few years, that was not always good or appropriate. For me, she began to like me better. For a while I was just "that one" or "Mike's". There were those times she was mean, but I always knew it wasn't the real her. Even though the real her was tough enough! We always would wonder if she would love seeing us, or if we would be in trouble for not having come to visit before then.

Driving back to town tonight we talked about all the times we should have gone to visit and didn't. We wish we had taken more time to be with Mamma. Somehow, I guess, we thought she would always be here. She seemed like the kind of person who would never wear down. After raising 7 children with a husband that was never there, she could look at a family that loves each other and genuinely enjoys each other's company, and be proud. She buried her husband, her parents, a son-in-law, two daughter-in-laws, and a son. She rocked 15 great-grandbabies and 9 grandchildren. She watched many marriages and welcomed, most of us, in to the family. She even struggled through some pretty tough divorces within the family and continued to love and support.

Mamma will not soon be forgotten. She has definitely left a mark on all our lives. Tough I am not her actual grandchild, I have been part of her family for over 22 years. She has been a grandmother to me as well. She was loved and she will be missed. Ninety years of living and living well have left our family with strong ties and a strong love for each other. Life will not be the same without her tenacity and stubbornness, but I'm sure we will see her in all of us as we carry on those family traditions.

Rest now Mamma.....we love you!