My mama just died last week. Wow, such a hard sentence to write. It came about suddenly after she had an elective surgery that was supposed to take away some of her pain and suffering. We all knew that her heart was weak, but none of us expected to loose her so soon. The hardest part was to be the oldest daughter of three and be the strong one. One of my sisters was so angry, and the other dissolved into a pool of tears. I had to be the strong tree rooted into the ground so far as to survive the worst of storms.

Saying goodbye to her over the length of a week was difficult but also a gift. For my Dad, he is an Engineer, and he needed questions answered as to her passing. He needed closure to all of the engineering questions as to why she could not be “fixed”. So he was granted time to process, ask, interview doctors, seek out opinions, and then finally arrive at the realization that his life partner of 59 years was gone. Poor Dad.
My mother was a prolific quilter, who over the time of 25 years made at least 200 quilts. She made quilts for all her children, grandchildren, and then great-grandchildren. Also for charity, churches, hospitals, neighbors, and friends.

Christmas was her favorite time of year. Her birthday was also her favorite holiday. We always tried to make it extra special for her. Her passing away during this season is extra hard, but also bittersweet. I will always keep Christmas with her in my heart.

A friend sent me this quote yesterday and I want to add it here.
Grief never ends…..
but it changes. It’s a passage, not a place to stay. Grief is not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of faith…..
It is the price of love.