Words of Remembrance of Mom Cesare Paves said “ We do not remember days, we remember moments.” I am Anne and Tom’s youngest child. My name is Michelle. These are my moments of remembering and gratitude: My mother had 8 years of parenting by the time that I arrived on the scene. Her style of being a parent had evolved, thanks to my siblings. For me, she had more of “natural consequence” parenting approach. Like when, I was little and didn’t want to brush my hair or get dressed for school. She said, “Ok, go like that.” Knowing full well, that I would be home by recess fully embarrassed by my classmates. She was right. She was right about a lot of things. As a child I watched my mother do many acts of service that at the time I never understood. Seemingly, as if others were more important than us. That was not to be true. We are the most important people to her. Much later I would learn that –acts of service was my mom’s primary love language. Unknowingly, as I was growing up my mom was modeling and teaching us the great life lesson of AWARENESS. That ability to be aware of your surroundings and make conscious choices in the unexpected moments of life. Her pioneering spirit and ‘get it done’ attitude left no time to have a public pity party. There was no better person in the world than my mom to lend an empathetic ear or to have as your advocate when you were ill. Well, except if you were her kid. “Ah, your arm isn’t broken. You’re ok.” Her North Star in life was the belief that it is better to give than to receive. It played out in so many ways, in our home. Once she gave all my Dad’s coats to the Union Gospel mission. He asked, “ Could you have left me one?” “No, its time you got new ones. Someone else could use those more.” She was right. Putting others needs before hers was constant. She would drop everything for a person in need. Once she made me go with her late at night after she finished work to go and get groceries. After getting the groceries we parked in front of a house I had never been to. “Stay in the car” she said. I watched as she gave all the groceries that we had just bought to some lady I didn’t know. When she got back in the car I asked who was that? Her answer was simple: “Someone who had no food and needed it more than us.” I remember the silence on the drive back home. Well, what could be said? My mom was right. With a husband and 5 kids and a fulltime job and friends and neighbors and all her volunteering she personified “multitasking” as we know it today. She was right to value the collective. “Everybody does a little so no one ends up doing a lot”. In our large family of 7 we all had to contribute. She was right in her persistence to teach us basic life skills. Thanks to mom’s constant and seemingly never ending list of Saturday morning chores, it developed in each of us a strong work ethic. My mother was right to value and prioritize the connection of family. Sunday dinner was one example. She really insisted that we all come together at least on Sundays to be a family. It was especially important for the family connections, since we were becoming more spread out over the years. Yet, for all the times she was right in her teachings of life’s lesson’s. The greatest gift my mother gave me was the gift of perseverance. She embodied it. No matter what terrible life altering events happened. She would pick herself up again and say, “What’s next? What needs to get done? How can I help?” Even during the transformative struggle of Alzheimers she would say, “Where to now?” She was always ready for what was next. Well, mom the “now” is here. NOW, ITS TIME FOR YOU TO REST IN PEACE knowing that you will be remembered in our hearts and minds. Rest well dear mom, rest well. Until we see you again. Thank you for our time together on this life’s journey. Thank you for the gift of my life. “ cause I know you said a couple of times that you brought me into this world so you could take me out”. Thank you for being my mom. I am proud to call you that. I love you. Michelle