1. I wish I had known they were NOT inmortal!- it may sound silly, but, part of me still believed they'd be around forever!
2. I wish someone had told me that, no matter how prepared you think you are (long lives, long illness, etc), you are never fully prepared (emotionally) for your parent's to die!
3. I should have thought of making "keepsake" boxes for Ale- she was so young when they died, some days she is anguished because she cannot fully remember them!
4. I wish I had written down some of Mom's recipes! - some are gone forever!
There are probably more things, but these are the ones that jump at me right now!
Things I wish I had known before my parents died
April 29th, 2008 at 06:16 pm
April 29th, 2008 at 07:03 pm 1209495824
Please take care.
April 29th, 2008 at 08:44 pm 1209501891
April 29th, 2008 at 10:09 pm 1209506981
1. What they would say made their marriage work so well.
2. How they maintained such good humor with each other despite challenges that would have broken many souls.
3. Told them how protected I felt as a child when they both had to be out of town, knowing they took seperate flights to increase the odds that one of them would always be there for my siblings and I.
4. Told them how grateful we all were that they set up their will to be certain my younger sister who could never care for herself would always have what she most needed, and much of what she wanted.
5. Told them that for years we all used our share of inheritance to get together for a weekend every summer with all our kids. The cousins would not have known one another well without their gifts to us all.
6. Thanked them for the gift of faith. Both in God and in one another.
7. Told them how we appreciated the way they exposed us to people very different from us. We seem to be very empathetic as a group. We can all speak with anyone from toddlers to the elderly.
8. Thanked them for their example of public service and giving to others. It so strengthened us as people.
9. Told them that even if our ages had range we all loved them well, even the teenagers. I wish we'd voiced it more.
10. Thanked them for raising my siblings so well that I still know I can call on them if I need to.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:46 pm 1209512780
I am lucky enough to have both my parents still alive.... I honestly don't know how I could cope emotionally if anything happened to my mother.... I just put the thought out of my mind and into the "deal with it when it happens" box.
I'll make sure to make an extra effort to appreciate her in the morning !! :-)
The only thing I can offer as a source of strength is what my mother has told me after being to family funerals.. "It's something we all have to face"
Take care
April 30th, 2008 at 03:57 am 1209527840
April 30th, 2008 at 01:36 pm 1209562579