Mother's Day 2007 - Took mom on a fishing trip on the lower Colorado. Wouldn't you know it - I was the only one that caught a fish. One of mom's favorite things to do was go fishing.

Got together last Sunday, October 26, to celebrate Mom's life.  Tina and Tom brought Mom's ashes home.  Dad wanted to keep Mom's ashes at the house until it's his time to join her and we'll bury them together.

More than anything, Mom loved family get-togethers. Our family get togethers are always noisy and messy, full of food and laughter.  This get-together was no exception, with Mom there in spirit.

Trish suggested we have a "picture memorial" for Mom.  So, Rob, Tina, Trish and I sat around the kitchen table with Dad and went through family pictures.  We found pictures we forget about and one's we hadn't ever seen.  We laughed about how much we changed over the years, and marveled at how Mom's smile could light up the picture.  There were of course quite a few pictures that she would have hated.  The posed pictures are always the worst; the impromptu pictures usually the best.

After we went through pictures, all the spouses and grandkids started arriving.  Cody, Matt, Eddie, Josh (with wife Krystal), Jessica (with son Ryan), Tyler, Alex.  Steve and JT are in the military and couldn't be here and were greatly missed.

We tied yellow ribbons on Mom's desert willow tree and watched a video that Eddie put together.  And as always, there was lots of food.  After eating, it was on to a card game on the front porch.

It was a great day with family and Mom would have loved seeing us all together.  It was a bittersweet day. 

        I don't know how many people beleive in messages from lost loved ones, but I do. I think my Mom has been sending little messages just to let me know she is watching over us.

       The first time was the morning she passed away, my son and I were on the way to the hospital to say our last goodbye, when a song on the radio made me smile, even though my heart was breaking. The song was "Brick House" by The Commodores. We last heard that song on the last day of our trip to Alaska, we were in Seattle spending the last few hours before we flew home. My husband suggested we take the "Duck" tour, an amphibious vehicle that tours the town and the bay. Mom said she was up for it, even though we all knew she didn't feel well. They played songs along the tour and one of thse was Brick House, everone on the tour raised thier arms in a point above thier head every time they said "house". Mom did it too, so I know she was enjoying herself. When that song came on the radio that sad morning, I knew Mom was saying thanks for making my last trip happy and enjoyable.

       The next message was a few days after Mom passed and my sister Lori and I were on the front porch talking about doing some yardwork for Dad, and Lori said that the big butterfly bush was overgrown and we should rip it out and put in some type of tree. Lori was going to say, "Mom loved that bush because it attracted hummingbirds (which Mom LOVED). As soon as the word "Mom" came out of Lori's mouth, a hummingbird came to one of the blossoms on the bush! We agreed that it was Mom saying "don't take out my butterfly bush!"
       
       The other day I was waiting in the doctor's office and they were calling people by thier first and last name, a nurse came out and said Nancy....Nancy.... with no last name, Nancy never showed. I thought it was kind of funny because they used to call us by our first name with no last name, because it was too hard to pronounce.

       Maybe I am looking too much into this, but if it gives me a happy little glimse of my Mom, I will take it. Mom, keep sending me those little tidbits of Love from Heaven, I will take them all. I Love you and miss you!