A. graduates from Joy School.... again. :)
We went straight from the J.S. graduation to our family camping weekend. C. really loves chairs so he was pretty content to sit in a chair all bundled up and watch the fire. We'd brought a big blanket for him to play on with toys as well, but he really wanted to eat sticks instead. A. caught his first ever fish.... and then his second too! As he tells the story, a fishy kept eating the bait and he and daddy would put more on and then that fishy would steal it again and finally they caught it and whooa - it was a big fat (pregnant) catfish! J. wasn't too interested in fishing but he loved finding sticks to through into the fire. 
Luckily both Lucinda and Norm decided to call and let me know things were getting bad. The kids and I managed to catch a flight the next day and for the first time in all my travels my flight was delayed, causing us to miss the connecting flight. There is nothing like trying to fly home and see your dying mother to make airport waits horrendous. Once we did get to Arizona that is what MoM managed to talk to me about was how she was so sorry that we had to deal with the flights and everything. She was always so concerned about everyone else -- and even when her body was going her mind was completely 100% sharp. What a blessing. My last phone-conversation with MoM was telling her about A. and his fishing expoits. I didn't know until I got to AZ that she was actually better at talking on the phone than in person. Yet, there wasn't anything left to say. The one sole blessing of Cancer is that it allows you to say all those things your heart might want to say before it is too late. Thank you MoM for going through all those terrible medicines so that you could be around another 5 years. That was an important five years for me -- my oldest child would turn 5 years old only three months after your death. What would I have possibly done without my Mother there to guide me (and laugh) as I began to learn to be a mom myself. My kids always seemed to learn to crawl and then to walk while we were visiting there in AZ. Just some of your magic.
We went straight from the J.S. graduation to our family camping weekend. C. really loves chairs so he was pretty content to sit in a chair all bundled up and watch the fire. We'd brought a big blanket for him to play on with toys as well, but he really wanted to eat sticks instead. A. caught his first ever fish.... and then his second too! As he tells the story, a fishy kept eating the bait and he and daddy would put more on and then that fishy would steal it again and finally they caught it and whooa - it was a big fat (pregnant) catfish! J. wasn't too interested in fishing but he loved finding sticks to through into the fire. Luckily both Lucinda and Norm decided to call and let me know things were getting bad. The kids and I managed to catch a flight the next day and for the first time in all my travels my flight was delayed, causing us to miss the connecting flight. There is nothing like trying to fly home and see your dying mother to make airport waits horrendous. Once we did get to Arizona that is what MoM managed to talk to me about was how she was so sorry that we had to deal with the flights and everything. She was always so concerned about everyone else -- and even when her body was going her mind was completely 100% sharp. What a blessing. My last phone-conversation with MoM was telling her about A. and his fishing expoits. I didn't know until I got to AZ that she was actually better at talking on the phone than in person. Yet, there wasn't anything left to say. The one sole blessing of Cancer is that it allows you to say all those things your heart might want to say before it is too late. Thank you MoM for going through all those terrible medicines so that you could be around another 5 years. That was an important five years for me -- my oldest child would turn 5 years old only three months after your death. What would I have possibly done without my Mother there to guide me (and laugh) as I began to learn to be a mom myself. My kids always seemed to learn to crawl and then to walk while we were visiting there in AZ. Just some of your magic.I'll never forget how she laughed so hard she couldn't even talk when I was telling her how baby A. had once again managed to spray me down during a diaper change -- getting the blinds, my hair, and even the dog. "How do you do it?!!" I begged her to tell me. She had managed this with 5 boys in clothe diapers and I couldn't even diaper mine with velcro! She never did stop laughing enough to tell me anything but, "Get faster!"
Now my mind and heart are full of the precious memories of motherhood and you've had quite a hand in shaping them. Thank you MoM.
We were pulling out of the driveway on our way up to Lakeside when I decided I had to grab Mom's cello. I'd had a potent dream about it the night before and finally conceeded that despite my extreme lack of practice (it had been at least half a year?) I would take the cello to play at the graveside. MoM would have loved it. The last time that cello was played was for the duet she and I did together. I've never been able to pick up an instrument and play at my skill level so quickly before. It was truly a blessing. Dad came up with a good Fish Family Hazing idea and made Stephanie take pictures at the burial. She did it so we went ahead and let Trev marry her. :)
We were pulling out of the driveway on our way up to Lakeside when I decided I had to grab Mom's cello. I'd had a potent dream about it the night before and finally conceeded that despite my extreme lack of practice (it had been at least half a year?) I would take the cello to play at the graveside. MoM would have loved it. The last time that cello was played was for the duet she and I did together. I've never been able to pick up an instrument and play at my skill level so quickly before. It was truly a blessing. Dad came up with a good Fish Family Hazing idea and made Stephanie take pictures at the burial. She did it so we went ahead and let Trev marry her. :) 
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