Thank you all for sharing kind words and wonderful stories about my mom. A friend shared these words that have been helpful to me: "Grief is love's unwillingness to give up. It's stretching bonds and redefining limits in order to create a space where you can love someone in their eternal absence." I will always carry my mom with me in my heart. 

Anne Marie found this lovely email that our mother sent to all of us on Mother's Day in 2014. She thanked us for making her a mother! We thank her for what a wonderful mother she was to each of us and we carry her with us in our hearts.

From: Pat Jehle <pajehle@yahoo.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 10, 2014 7:26 AM
Subject: Nice words I found while cleaning..thanks for making me a mom! Happy moms day!

The most important person on earth is a Mother!
She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral.
She need not.  She has built something more magnificent than
Any cathedral...a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection
of her baby's body.

The angels have not been blessed with such a grace.  They cannot
share in God's creative miracle to bring new saints to Heaven.
Only a human mother can.  Mothers are closer to God the Creator
than any other  creature. God joins forces with the Mothers in
performing this act of creation.......

What on God's earth is more glorious than this......to be a Mother?


P.S. Those that are not mothers or fathers can be motherly or fatherly
      and very great people!

On our wall at 35 Deville, we had this poem that my mom loved:

Thank God for dirty dishes,
They have a tale to tell -
While others may go hungry,
We're eating very well.
With home, health, and happiness,
We shouldn't want to fuss,
By the stack of evidence,
God's been very good to us.

These are some of the lyrics to the song "Thank You" by Natalie Merchant. These words have always made me think of my mother, and her selflessness, and how I never could have come this far without her.


"You've been so kind and generous
I don't know how you keep on giving
For your kindness I'm in debt to you

And I never could have come this far without you

For your selflessness - my admiration
For everything you've done you know I'm bound
I'm bound to thank you for it

I want to thank you for so many gifts you gave
The love, the tenderness, I want to thank you
I want to thank you…

La la la la la....."