· My mother passed away 9 years ago today.
· This quote certainly applied to her.
She was a force of nature. She and my Dad had three sons, and in our house, she was a majority of 1. What she said and wanted, was the final word; no questions asked. She taught us that everything in moderation was the rule – so don’t get carried away. She had a severe heart condition from the time she was 40; the doctor advised us not to upset her. That she had to take it easy. From that point on, we were on our best behavior while she proceeded to take up skiing, yoga, trips around the world, and attendance at every family event, big or small, near or far. Nothing strenuous, but always on the go. She loved opera, ballet, mahjong, and bridge – none of us did, that just meant she was free to enjoy her pleasures on her own terms. Her mother had a stroke and she sat with and soothed her every day for nearly 5 years – that was her way of doing what was right while showing us what was right – she was the example we all learned from. She had another heart attack a week before her 94th birthday. I was in China when it happened – I rushed home as quickly as I could – when my brother picked me up at the airport, he let me know she most likely wasn’t going to regain consciousness. When we walked into her hospital room and he told her I was there, she woke up as if she’d only been asleep. She proceeded to have private 45-minute conversations with her grandchildren, daughters-in-law, and finally her sons; at the end of which she said she was tired and wanted a nap. What she said was private to each, and we took it as such. And then she died. On her terms, and her schedule. Until the very end. Leaving each of us with the last word. At her funeral, I said that we didn’t feel bad that we didn’t feel bad that she’d passed. She had lived her entire long life the way she wanted – that’s something to celebrate, not feel bad about. And she lived so that her family still thinks of fairness, caring, and integrity whenever we all think of her. Her memory is a blessing to us all today.
Horace Jackson Brown Jr. (1940 – 2021): American author who was best known for his inspirational book, Life's Little Instruction Book.
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