Memorial for Mom

For the fourth time this year I drove to Cheyenne. I was happy I could stay with Lloyd again. 

Rhonda took the day off so she could help me get some things for the dinner after the memorial service. We had so much fun shopping and cleaning Lloyd's home. Rhonda works so hard and is a very caring person. I have come to love her. I hope she and Lloyd will always be happy and grow old together. Lloyd stained the door and it looks great.

The couch that Chris bought Mom looks so nice in Lloyd's living room. 

 Dad's level that he used when laying brick. I smiled when I saw this hanging on the wall.

I made them dinner a few times... chili, twice baked potatoes and ham. 

I could tell they enjoyed the food.

Lloyd was frying zucchini to go with the twice bakes.

 I never tire of going for a walk across the prairies.

For many reasons we didn't have Mom's memorial service right after she passed. I did everything I could to make the service a fitting tribute to her. I think she would have been pleased. 

The service was wonderful and it was heartwarming to see friends we hadn't seen in many years. I was so proud of Heather and Mandy, they shared some sweet memories and represented the grandchildren so well. My brothers did not want to speak so I shared how they honored Mom. Roseanne gave a nice tribute. David played "Be Still My Soul" and it was beautiful. I know that would have made Mom happy. 

I enjoyed seeing my brothers and other family members. Aunt Mildred had planned to come but she got sick. Uncle Ken drove up from Denver and I was so happy he could be with us. 

 Kenny and some of his family

 Roseanne and some of her family

 Marion George with Troy and Heidi

 Lloyd, Rhonda and their family

My cousins Chad, Carlene and Kyle

Fun gathering at Off the Hook Ranch... Family friend Teresa, Uncle Ken and cousin Greg...

Lloyd enjoyed showing Uncle Ken around the ranch.

Theo giving pony rides. Heather and Joseph loving it!

Cutest cowboy Jasper... Mandy calls him Sunshine for obvious reasons!

My beautiful niece Kaylynn, I love her.

 More of darling Jasper, my great-nephew

Handsome Paden

Lloyd adores his grandchildren.

One of the most important lesson I learned from my Mom is that I could do hard things. She experienced some difficult trials in her life. She faced them with grace, faith and courage. She showed me by her example that you don’t give up, that you can overcome hardships and learn from them. 

My brother Marion and I were talking about Mom’s legacy. So what is my Mother’s legacy? I am. My brothers and sister are. And our children, her grandchildren are as well. Some people leave the mark of a rich career or hundreds of friends when they depart the earth. And while my mother contributed in so many ways and certainly touched her share of friends, in the end what mattered to her most, what she ignored other parts of her life to focus on, was her family. Marion said and I agree, she raised us good.

That’s a lot of responsibility, being someone’s legacy. But I'm trying my best to live up to it. How I live my life and how I touch others will be my legacy.

To love my family unconditionally and live by the ideals that I shared with my mother, that is my job. I will honor her by trying to do just that.