It’s one of those things; you have to have lost someone very dear to you to understand the depth of the sorrow. There’s no one in your life like your Mom. No one who loves to hear your little life stories, to know your triumphs and frustrations and to cheer you on relentlessly, even when you haven’t got a chance.
We say a final farewell to Derek’s Mom, Audrey, today. I only got to know her for a few years but she made me laugh, made me cry and loved her family with all of her heart. Her husband, Derek’s Dad Reg, predeceased her by more than a decade and she still wore her wedding band up until just a few years ago. A favourite photo of Reg looked down on her from a fishing boat on a lake the whole time I knew her . They were a team and for decades they raised six fine children and watched each of them take a different path in life. They were terrific parents and partners.
My heart is broken for my sister and brothers-in-law that they’ve lost their Mom. And I have my own memories and sadness as well. If the best thing we can do when someone we love passes is to emulate their best qualities, then for Audrey we should always look on the positive side, no matter what life throws our way. And we should laugh loudly and long whenever we can.
