We will celebrate her life...

It is two weeks now since Gloria, my mom, left this earth for Eternity.

Sunday the 21st, we are having a celebration of her life.

I have spent more hours then I can count, making a movie video of her life with her favorite "Big Band" music embedded in it.

And after scanning hundreds of old, and not so old pictures, I have her 'life' embedded in my mind via these pictures. I have viewed them for hours on end, and I am so glad I had the honor of doing this for her.

As someone who has loved to blog, I have not done much blogging in the last 11 and a half months...as all of our lives changed after Christmas 2009.

As much as my life as well as my sisters life changed while we played "tag" to cover stopping by her residence in assisted living , it was Mom's life which changed the most. And such a hard year it was for her. She fought to recover, but her body was just not able to rebound as she wanted so badly.

I wrote a tribute to my mother on Mothers Day, May 7th, 2009. I would like to include it here, as I don't think I can find any other words to describe this strong, classy, independent, and very smart woman that I was fortunate to call "Mom" for the 6 decades God has given me to share with her on this earth...

I am thankful for my Mom. She is the Matriarch in our Family...and I can honestly say, she is an amazing woman.

She lives here in Washington part of the year, and she lives in Henderson, Nevada the other part of the year. We tease her, telling her that she is bored here in Washington, where 4 of her 5 kids live. This is because her life in Nevada is full of active friends, and many soirees.. as well as her friend George (who I must say, treats her like an Angel)!

She is smart, and sharp and savvy, and kind of strong willed! My mother is in her 80's and a mother of 5, and loved by all of us, and our families.

I honestly think she could of done anything she wanted to, as she is a natural business woman. Like most women of her generation..she did not work outside the home when we were young. She did have a small business at one time, she had a darling Consignment Shop in the "little" town of Issaquah Washington and she later got her Real Estate License, which was a great opportunity to find great deals on houses.

She and my father did very well with finding houses, and they would do a little work on, and than add the new purchase to their little string of rentals.

My parents did not believe in using credit, something their generation learned from the real depression, and my generation and my kids generation can still learn a lot from them.

Mom is a blessings to her children, grandchildren, and her great grandchildren. When my first child was born, Mom said she was to young to be a Gramma, and said the grand kids could call her GG (short for .. Gramma Gloria)..poor Mom, she was immediately named "Gramma GG" ... and has been so ever since!

So.. as I always tell her, I love you Mom!

She enjoyed her piano...we enjoyed it when she played.

Me with her, when I was about 16...

Goodbye to my Mom

The last eleven and a half months have been the hardest period of my mom's long life.

I am one of five kids who had the honor of calling Gloria
"Mom".

I can honestly say, she was one very classy lady who lived life with zest, to it's fullest!

She was a mom; a wife, a world traveler, an entrepreneur, a realtor, and she was a great friend to so many.

She honored this earth with her presence for 86 years, 11 months, and 4 days. We were all thankful for being part of her life.

After breaking her hip late Christmas Eve last year, her life changed dramatically. She was not able to be independent, and could not go back to her lovely Condo on the water of Lake Washington.

She never complained.

We are so thankful we were able to get her back to her home, surrounded by her family, friends, and memories... for the last two weeks of her life.

She passed away on Nov 6th, 2010.

"I Love You Mom...."