Dear Mom

Dear Mom

Sorry this letter is late. I meant to write it yesterday, the anniversary of your death 13 years ago but I got busy doing really important things. Like what you ask ? Oh you know, dishes and uh laundry and um, oh yeah I had to take some more pictures of the silly peacocks strutting their stuff all over the farm. Yeah, I know. Sorry.

But wait, there was one important thing we did. We celebrated Jason's birthday with him. Yes, he's 23 now can you believe it ? And he wanted us to tell you he forgives you (finally) for dying on his birthday which you might recall happened to be Easter that same year. Really, going to heaven on Easter, and they say I"M the showboat in this family. Kidding, just kidding.

Seriously, we all really do miss you. I for one miss the way you would come in my back door yelling "Anyone home ?" Not that it mattered. You would just come in, make yourself some coffee , grab a magazine and wait till someone showed up. Pretty much what I did at your house wasn't it ? I also miss your bobby pins and the way you could put them to good use for all kinds of things. Hair curling, lock picking, car battery jump cables. Oh you did too.  Yes you did. Yes...you...did. I also miss the way no coffee was ever too strong or too old for you to drink, how you could never  cut the bulk bologna in even pieces with one side being 1/8 in thick and the other side being an inch thick.

I really miss how you would wear my too big U of I sweatshirts, Mary's too small bell bottom jeans, Peg's
banana clips and Teresa's Disney shoes FOR A NIGHT OUT ON THE TOWN , and you did not care what other people thought. What ? Yes, you're right. I shouldn't be name dropping U of I clothing when I got expelled after one semester. Sorry...What tone ? OK, OK I'm really sorry this time.

So let me just wind this up by saying again we miss you. You left us far too early. 67 is nothing, you were a baby with lots of life left in you. What was that ? Apparently not  ? Good to see you still have your sense of humor. Yes, I know. You always had one but dad was always the one clowning around while you had to be the responsible one and no one ever really knew how funny you could be.

Mom, we knew. And we appreciate all you did for all of us all those years and
We love you very very much.