Normalcy wasn\u2019t my mom, though. She had a hard life. An\u00a0impecunious\u00a0life.\u00a0She often told me how she had just one toy, a doll, to play with while growing up. And so as we kids got older, we gifted my mom toys; stuffed bears and dolls. But we couldn\u2019t recreate her childhood, and with all of her hardships brought depression and with depression brought illness and with illness brought blindness and with blindness brought more depression. It was a chain that could not be broken by her husband, her\u00a0kids, grandkids or even a fuzzy teddy bear.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d never planned a funeral before and I was surprised how alike the planning of a funeral was to a wedding. Programs had to be ordered. Songs, clothes and flowers all had to be carefully chosen. And then the calls, invitations and thank you\u2019s had to be written. My dad, never one to handle a stressful situation well, sat idly by while me, my sister and brother\u00a0tried to do my mom proud, knowing how particular she could be, and not wanting to disappoint her in any way.<\/p>\n
Today is 9 years since my mom\u2019s transition to her new home. She always dreamed of living\u00a0in a quaint home overlooking the water, with a kitchen window that looked over fields of wildflowers. She told me that she imagined that the state of Maine looked\u00a0like her ideal place to live.<\/p>\n
Happy Heaven Birthday, mom. I hope you have a beautiful view of the water, of your gardens, and that us kids and grand kids have made you proud. I miss you.<\/p>\n
Sally Lou Schiller \u2013 March 2, 1937 \u2013 January 30, 2006<\/p>\n
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