Random Musings

I wrote a eulogy for mom and read it at her service. I love and miss you, mom: They say a person’s greatest strength is often also their greatest weakness. I believe mom’s greatest strength was her generosity and selflessness. Mom’s focus was always on her family and their welfare, not on herself. As a wife, mom was second to none. She wanted nothing more than my dad’s success and happiness. Mom’s happiness was my dad’s happiness. When I was a child I remember my dad coming home from work and they would lie on the bed and talk for hours about my dad’s day. My dad’s happiness meant the world to mom. And I enjoyed watching it because it made my mom smile. Mom also put her children before herself. Mom’s favorite holiday was Christmas. She loved everything about it. She created traditions I cherish to this day. I always got so excited for the elves to come, to open a day on the advent calendar, or to eat Schnitzel and Pommes Frits. When the day finally arrived I was so excited...

My mother passed away on March 2, 2008 at 6:30 in the morning. She went quietly in her sleep. I went home about three weeks ago because she had an exacerbation of her symptoms from COPD. She was in the ICU and was intubated. It was terrible to see my mother sick like that. She was delirous at times and didn't even know where she was, who was around, what time it was, the date, or anything. She slowly gained back her senses, but it took about 7 days. Then they released her back home. So, I stayed for two days and she seemed like the old mom. Still sick, but much better than what her condition was in the ICU. I was soo sad to see my mom suffer like that. She was soo afraid of dying and of sufficating to death. She often couldn't breathe. It scared me soo much. I knew she would pass away, but didn't know when. I really thought she would have at least 3 to 6 months left. But, in only three weeks she was back in the ICU and they told my dad that if they intubated her again that ...