Mom

I have very little time as we fly out early tomorrow to be with family but I couldn't go without sharing our sad family news and the reason why we're making this trip.  Sadly Mom lost her 24 year battle with leukeamia a few days ago and so this trip is one we knew would eventually come one day and one that is going to be tough.  I always said I only ever made that 12 hour flight for mom cos I'm not crazy about flying - two, maybe three hours and I'm ok but I freak out about flying over the ocean and being in a plane longer than that.  Now I'm makin the trip for mom one last time!

I thought I would share just a few photos with you since I have been sorting through my pictures to take a CD back home with us.

This photo was taken the last time we went back to see mom - we never stayed long enough and there was always way too much time that passed in between visits.  Over the years we developed little rituals like a family meal on our last night so this was taken on one of those occasions.

Mom would no doubt hate this shot and she was forever glaring at me and telling me to 'put that camera away' but I'm glad I didn't listen to her or I wouldn't have gotten shots like this.  We took a trip to Scotland but it was pretty cold so she picked up this beany hat - always the 'well dressed' traveller - that was mom LOL! We saw far more of the UK (including Scotland, Ireland and Wales) than we would of done otherwise so we have many happy travels to remember her by too.

In fact it was because of mom that we all got to meet the Queen!  While mom got to say hello to her I had two choices - say hello or shove my camera in her face - I think you know which one I went for!  Even more exciting we later found 3 local newspapers which all featured a shot with guess who (besides her Maj that is) in them? - only MOM that's who! 

And here she is horsin around - such a character!  She lived for her faith and her family.

And this is one of my favourite photos of mom.  She was busy crocheting one of those fab pot holders in the back seat during one of our many journeys.  I'm so glad I finally asked her to show me how to make these.  Anyone I know who has been lucky enough to get one knows just how neat they are!  Mom showed me how to do a great many things over the years - some of them things I am now passing on to my own children.

And then of course there was the time we surprised her and showed up just in time for dinner on Christmas Day - our first all together for 20 years!  Thanks to snow it had taken Dave and I three days to get there and boy when she got a hold of me I didn't think I was ever gonna draw breath again - she hugged me so tight and sooooooo long!  There is no doubt in my mind that she loved me every bit as much as I loved her.

I am so very thankful that we have a whole lifetime of memories to comfort us right now and tho' we'll be staying at mom's - it will never be quite the same again.  I could share a whole bunch more photos, stories and memories to go along with them but it's midnight now and we have a flight to catch in the morning.

So I'm makin that journey one more time - and mom this one's for you!