Today is her day. And if you ever forgot it you would find her feeling sad. Mom loved celebrating her birthday. It didn’t matter if we went out to eat or stayed in, what mattered was that there was a cake and that there were gifts. Dad always got her jewelry, nothing extremely expensive, but simple. In all my searching I was fortunate to have found one of the necklaces that dad had given mom.

Mom loved God. She loved life. She loved history, which is one of the reasons why life in Italy was not only a mission for her, but also a pleasure. Taking visitors around to see the beauty of Italy and helping them experience authentic Italian culture was never a chore for her.  My love for historical novels and my passion for history are because of my mom. Anywhere we traveled she would give us a detailed account of the history of that specific place.

Mom enjoyed fashion and especially accessorizing.  If you look through our family photos you can see how she followed all the trends, especially in the 80s and 90s. Even her hair changed colors with her new look every few months!

She loved . . .

Worshipping the Lord

Laughing

Playing with her grandbabies

Gardening

Traveling

Walking around open-air markets

Going on adventures

Taking care of her grandbabies

Swimming

Reading

Camping

Cooking

Baking

Going to the coffee bar for a cappuccino

Teaching

Riding her bike

Watching detective shows and time period dramas

Playing scrabble and Pinochle

 

Most of all Mom loved people. She wasn’t perfect, she’d be the first to tell you that, but she did her best. All my life I watched her make sacrifices in order to demonstrate love to others. I put her through some tough times, but her love never wavered. Her devotion to me and to my own children was exemplary. She loved with everything in her.

She raised me to be strong, to put my trust in the Lord at all times, whether they be good or bad.

I am, and have always been, proud of my mom. She truly was my best friend. We had much fun and shared countless special moments together. I still can’t believe I have been robbed of her physical presence. The ache has been excruciatingly real this week as reality has been sinking in more and more.

I normally prefer to end my posts on a positive note, but today I can’t. I’m going to make her a chocolate cake with coffee frosting, eat it and weep as I think of my lovely mommy.