Tonight I said good bye to my mom

Tonight I said good bye to my mom. She is the best mom in the world and it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I don’t know if she will still be with us when I wake up tomorrow so I am going to tell you about her tonight while I can still write in the present tense.


Here is what I can tell you about my mom.

My mom is an “Okie” and a “Sooner”. You’d never know it because her Tulsa accent is long gone. She moved out to San Francisco to follow my dad. Every time I pass the Swenson’s on Hyde and Union, I look to where her first apartment was just across the street in the cute 2nd story corner building.

My mom can sew a prom dress just by looking at the picture from VOGUE that I tore out and gave to her. It is a beautiful dress. I still have it.

My mom can make a mean Halloween costume out of a paper grocery bag. I walked many laps around the hills of Sausalito with a paper bag over my head and a huge bag full of candy in my hand.

My mom taught me how to be a good mother. To be there for her kids on hot dog day at school, as a troop Girl Scout leader, teaching us to ride our bikes and reading us every single Nancy Drew book.

My mom believes in me. She still tells me that I can do anything or be anything I want to be if I put my mind to it.

My mom is a great cook. Her recipe box is a treasure trove. I love all of her meals, except for the one time she served us sole with bake bananas. ..still won’t do that one again.

My mom is an amazing singer. She loves to sing in the car and embarrasses me like any mother does when she is singing in the car with her daughter. She sang the loudest and the best at church.

My mom is very creative with flower arrangements. She did all of the flowers for almost all of the fundraisers that I held. And she made sure that Star of the Sea was embellished with beautiful bouquets.

My mom has an infectious smile and laugh. She loves being social and I swear she seems to know everyone.

My mom is a great person, mother, wife and friend. Her DG friends are to this day some of her dearest friends.

My mom has instilled in me the importance of family and spending time together. We would spend time as a family skiing at Squaw, laying on the beach in Glenbrook, driving across the country to see family in Oklahoma or just hanging at home in Sausalito.

My mom’s spirit is so genuine and loving. Lately she has taken it to an extreme by giving hugs to people she barely knows…such is the disease that is consuming her mind and body. I suppose it could be worse. To die blissfully unaware that you are dying is a good way to go.

I love you mommy. I hope that you will find peace when you leave us. I know you will be so happy to be reunited with your sister, parents and friends that have left before you. And when you do go, I know that you will always be my guardian angel.