Dear Mom,

I feel your presence here today in the company of all of our angels, as you share your heart-felt love and gratitude with all of your family and friends who love you so much. When you made your transition from this physical world into heaven, I felt the incredible pain of loss, but I also felt a peace and a calm in my heart, knowing that love transcends time and space. I know that you will always remain alive within me, loving me and guiding me. I miss you so much…but I know there is no death, just your continual celebration of life…an incredible journey of love that has brought you back home. When I feel sad, I think of the glorious reunion of family and friends in Spirit who joyfully and patiently awaited to welcome you home. And it just makes me smile to know how much you’re loved. I feel joy and laughter as I visualize this huge party in your honor, with your mom, your dad, Mom and Lyman, Uncle Pat, Uncle Snell, Pat Curran, Gil, Fred, Uncle Pete, Uncle Jim, Aunt Mary, your cousin Fran, and many others. And Mom and Lyman probably cooking everyone this wonderful chicken dinner with chocolate chip cookies for dessert! How can I not be happy for you…when I know you’re alive, vibrant, healthy and pain-free, and truly loving and assisting our family as our Angel.

I feel honored to have been blessed with your beautiful soul as my mother for 47 years, and grandmother to my children for 21 years. You made life fun and abundant, even during the hard times…the fun trips to Corona del Mar Beach with the Farish's; you and dad driving to Holy Jim Canyon for yet another fun adventure with all of us piled in the station wagon to collect a million rocks for the yard; Sunday dinners at Mom & Lymans and Aunt Matzes; swimming in grandma’s pool on Tyhurst; you and Ruth Parsons as my Girl Scout leaders helping me achieve all of my badges. I can remember getting off the school bus from Kindergarten every day in one of my many beautiful dresses you made for me. Even when money was tight, I never felt the lack of anything; you somehow found that special time to spend alone with each one of us and you always made sure I had the perfect hand-made original dress for my proms and every other occasion. My beautiful wedding dress that you made for me was truly a gift of love. I treasure my "artwork" and pictures you kept for me that I made in school; my baby shoes that sit on my dresser, my baby books filled with love… the genealogy book filled with our family ancestors, photos, documents and letters that was truly a labor of love. These are precious memories that I will cherish always, and pass down to Sarah and Matt.

Thank you, mom, for teaching me the joy of reading and writing; and when I write my own book of all the Angels and Miracles that encompass my life, I will dedicate it to you, as my inspiration of strength and service to others. My strong spiritual connection to God and the Angels began with you. I loved what you wrote in my baby book when I asked at age 3, "Where is God, and why can’t I see Him when I feel Him near me?" and you replied, "God is everywhere and He lives in your heart, always with you." When I asked "Are the birds playing in our backyard God’s birds?" You replied, "God lets the birds play in our backyard so that we can enjoy them as much as He does." Little did we know back then your angelic connection to the birds. My favorite prayer was always to my Guardian Angel…and our family truly knows the incredible power and magnificence of Angels in our lives. Thank you for the lessons in Spirituality you taught me. I am so grateful for the inner joy and strength this brings me, and I know that you will bring me love and inspiration as I journey down my path. You taught me responsibility, compassion for others, and the joy of being a mom. And I thank you for bringing me into this world and giving to me my very special dad, my soul mate sisters and my brothers whom I love so much. I won’t say goodbye; you have not left us; Your soul is eternal and everlasting. You are with us always in Spirit - in the birds and the doves, in the rainbows, in the angel clouds. You will touch us with your angel wings and whisper in our ears, talk to us through songs on the radio, visit us in our dreams, and be ever-present. Your love and prayers will help us to heal the pain of missing you so much and to move forward with faith and courage. We send our love and prayers to you, knowing you feel and hear them because we are all one, and because life goes on and love never dies.

I love you, mom… Jenny