My beloved mom passed away in early January of 2025.
If you have suffered loss, you know the pain that grips your heart. You feel like you can't breathe. Memories flash through your thoughts at unexpected moments.
I’m most comfortable expressing myself through writing. I chose the purple rose for the cover of this post because it represents admiration and honour for a well-lived life.
Mom was the seventh of eleven children and grew up in Saskatchewan. She married Albert, the love of her life, in 1947, and they were married for fifty-nine years when he passed in 2006.
Mom took a keen interest in the family farm they operated for fifty years. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, sister-in-law, aunt and a loyal friend.
Mom was an intelligent, observant woman who could read people accurately. She loved history, reading, and writing and filled notebooks with the stories of her family's lives. She was a fantastic cook and found peace and joy in her garden.
She dedicated her life to her five children and their spouses. Mom’s nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren were her pride and joy.
Mom was a woman with a strong faith in God. She was selfless, always putting others first and never complained. Mom had the best sense of humour and a beautiful smile.
She was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2007. She accepted this news with calm resignation and handled it with grace.
Mom wasn’t able to live on her own for the past eight years. During the first years that she was in the nursing home we spent visits talking about our family history going back almost a century. Mom also taught me about Saskatchewan's history.
I loved her stories and decided to record them in written and oral form on my blog/podcast to preserve this information. I worked on these stories with Mom’s insight and knowledge for five years. Many of these stories are published in Canadian magazines and I received a 2023 Heritage Saskatchewan Award for our story collection. I was able to share this news and photos from the award ceremony with Mom.
Whenever I thought of a question about a story I wanted to write, I added it to a list on my phone titled “Ask Mom.” This list also often included the typical things one asks their mom: “How did you make that?” Why didn't my recipe turn out like yours? And asking for advice on many other topics, from parenting and finances to health issues.
I learned many new things through these questions, such as how she and Dad met, his army training years, their engagement, and their wedding day. Mom told me about the day I was born.
She shared tales of the hardships settlers on the Prairies, like her parents, faced, including during WWI and times when crops failed and money was tight. Country schools, stores, post offices, barn dances, and moonshiners—we covered them all.
During the COVID pandemic, we weren't allowed to see her in the nursing home, and she wasn’t able to talk on the phone comfortably or visit outside or through the window at the nursing home. By the time life returned to normal, Mom wasn’t the same, and over time, her stories fell silent.
She fought hard, but eventually, her earthly body failed her. It was my honour to be by Mom’s side at the end of her life. I was fortunate to have had ample time to say what I wanted to tell her before she passed. I even apologized for being a little shit when I was a teenager. I was glad to get that off my chest.
Mom is reunited with Dad, and I don’t think she had many regrets about the life they shared.
Part of the journey is the end, and no matter her age it still feels like we didn't have enough time. The legacy of her 95 years on this earth lives on through her family.
The list on my phone is empty now, but there were more things I wanted to “Ask Mom”….
❤️
Mom had a little envelope filled with clippings of poems and readings. I love this one.
I’ll miss you forever Mom.
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