November 19th was Mom's sendoff party. Five out of six grandchildren attended, six great grandchildren and my brother and I, with our spouses, plus many friends and some Condo mates. Mom would have loved it. One thing I learned is how much a person is remembered and loved for their idiosyncrasies for example: feeding kids Smarties so they get smarter (wink-wink), sending postcards with birds on it to a granddaughter because she is named Robin, paying quarters for correct Jeopardy answers, dressing in cleavage displaying leopard fabrics, and sewing/weaving through calves liver with bacon. Mom loved to swim and called on all the Condo ladies every morning to head off to the pool. She also enjoyed the Sound of Music Festival in Burlington every year, playing Rummy Cubes, 
reading, big family dinners with lots of kids running around. She would have loved the rouladen, red cabbage, cabbage rolls, spaezle, Schnizel, potato salad, and cheese cake served at her sendoff. She would have liked hearing her granddaughter singing You are my Sunshine. Most of all she would have loved all her great and grand children. Happy trails Mom. Auf wiedersehen.
6 comments:
What a lovely post, Sylvia! I'm sure your mom would have loved it. And I know that even though you can't see her, she'll always be with you.
Wonderful post, Sylvia.
There was a lot of love in that room yesterday, Sylvia. So many people who cared for and admired your mum. Jennifer's song moved me to tears. Yes, your mother would have been happy to know how many lives she touched, but I think she knew that.
Omi was an awesome lady. Remembering her like that was like having pre-alzeimers Omi back for a day.
Sylvia, this is so-well-written I feel I met your mother. Love the photo! Take care. Linda
(The day before)With four pots of rouladen going on the stove, the phone to my ear talking to bankers, my laptop open on the counter, as I put the finishing touches on a letter to the German pension department (I don't write German all that well!), I could have never imagined how soothing Mom's sendoff could be. The refrain in my head was always, if I could just do this one last thing for her. There was so little I could do in the past four years four her, especially when she could only eat mushed food.
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