October 1, 1951-April 9, 2013
After we said our good-byes, after we cried more tears that we thought existed, and after we took those last steps away from your bedside, we began the task of going through your things. We sorted through bookshelves and closets, sorting them into piles. As we made piles for Goodwill and piles for storage, we began to separate items that we wanted to take for ourselves: your favorite coffee mug, some shirts, your hats. We even found our old lunchboxes from when we were kids. We didn’t even know you had them. Mom kept saying, “Just don’t get rid of the stuffed beagle puppy, I want that.” We found it several days later. Mom sleeps with it every night now.
As the piles got bigger and bigger, memories of you began to swell in our minds. The pink boa you wore at Halloween, the CD of songs you liked to sing at karaoke, the picture of you dancing with mom at someone’s wedding, they all brought sunshine to our eyes and warmth to our hearts. It was because of that we knew the greatest thing we could take from you would not be found in a box under your bed. It was the memories of all the times you made us smile. Thank-you for those. Thank-you for the nights of karaoke singing “Sweet Home Chicago.” Thank-you for your sense of humor and those spontaneous moments of silliness. Thank-you for your love of animals. Thank-you for little league practice. Thank-you for “Jetskies” in the pool. Thank-you for singing in the car. Thank-you for loving Mom. Thank-you for the “Diamond bright and tear stained memories.” Thank-you for this family.
Thank-you.
This quilt square is a celebration of those memories