What can I say . . . mothers are special and that in a nutshell describes her completely. No, she wasn't perfect, but she did her best and that's all that one can expect. There were so many things that I admired her for. At the age of 3 she slipped on a waxed floor, did the split and until the age of 17, her right leg grew partially up inside her body. A surgeon had seen her pushing herself on a gurney from side to side and after doing some searching into the situation performed the surgery for free. She never let her handicap get the best of her until her heart weakened to a point where she could no longer stand up on her own or walk.

My mom was not pretentious by any stretch of the imagination. She was a simple woman who survived with only a basic 8th grade education. We didn't have much, but she always made sure that we had clean, pressed clothes to wear to school even if they weren't the most fashionable and food to eat. And she took care of those things after returning home from work every day. She also saw to it that we always had a great Christmas.

In her mid-80s she started playing games on the computer and signed up on AOL. She also learned how to use Instant Messenger and whenever she saw us on line, she'd IM us. Then at the age of 93, she got tired and pulled away from the computer altogether.

One of the things I loved the most about her was that she was never envious of what anyone else had. She'd boast about spending $5 to $10 on a pair of pants or a top and you would have thought she was holding designer garments in her hands. Yes, she was special.

My mom developed dementia after a surgery when she was 88 and from that point started a slow, but steady downhill decline. I'm not sure if that had anything to do with her loss of interest on the computer, but it might have. She also required a pacemaker implant at which time she could no longer live by herself, so I left my co-op apartment virtually vacant and moved in with her. That lasted for 2 years at which time a possible mini-stroke turned her into a hate mode and I was forced to placee her in a nursing home as I could no longer care for her by myself. It took what it seemed to be 6 very long months (I'd cry every day) to get her back to the mom I knew and for her to accept being in a place she had said she would never go.

She got interested in the bingo games, loved the horse racing and all the parties they had and made friends. I got her to play games with me almost every day and she was absolutely thrilled that she beat me on most days. I just loved the way her face lit up when some of the staff would walk over to talk to her . . . it would put a smile on my face. Then about 6 months ago, I noticed another decline until her tired body just gave out.

For the last 7 years I spent almost every day with her. She's been my life and I'm going to miss her a lot. Fortunately her resting place is only a mile from me so I can visit with her any time I choose and that will be my comfort. My last words to my mother were "I love you" and "sweet dreams" at which point I had given her a big hug and a kiss on her forehead. She had become so fragile. Little did I know that would be the last time I'd see her alive. But I am so truly thankful that she passed quietly in her sleep and with no pain and that she hadn't lost her vision, hearing or brain matter completely. She is and always will be my hero.

It's almost a year now that Mom has been gone and as mentioned above I miss her SO MUCH. I keep her picture out in the open and talk to her every day and whenever I get a chance I go up to visit both her and my dad. It's strange to not have her here with me as we (my sister and I) had been so fortunate as to have her around for 97 years. I don't miss being a "caregiver", that job really stinks, but I do miss the person that she was, the person I had come to know so well during the last 7 years of her life. She will be forever missed.

Also, I'd like to dedicate my page to my late Grandmother Mary, who was one terrific lady. She was always supportive in everything that I wanted to do and up until age 83 worked at 3 jobs. She had more energy than anyone else I have come to know and she is fondly remembered. And although I doubt seriously that I will continue to work even 1 job until I'm 83, she has been an inspiration to me.

I've put this page together on very short notice and as you will see there is "room" to embellish (or maybe not) in the future. In any event, I do hope you enjoy what is here.