I just wanted to offer my appreciation to the members of Booman Tribune for all your support during this time while I mourn the loss of my mother. Your comments and condolences are greatly appreciated. An online community is different in many ways from the ones in which we physically reside, but in the important things, the things that make a group of people part of a something more than just an occasional debating forum, it is the same, if not better, than the neighborhood in which I live.
For nine years, on and off, I have been posting here, thanks to the good graces of Martin. I’ve seen arguments and friendly debates, I’ve read funny stories and sad ones in the comments and diaries. This has been my online home to a great extent, and for me a true community.
About my Mom, I still do not know what to say. I do know she would not want a big deal made about her here, or anywhere, online. She never got much past email (and that pretty infrequently) and cell phones (which she used reluctantly). She was of the generation of people who wrote letters, sent cards, and felt that what she read in a person’s own handwriting was more real, tangible, and better than a mere email or text message.
And perhaps she has a point. The last conversation we had over the phone on her anniversary was sparked by a card I’d sent her, one of those cards that when you open them make a sound or play a song. The one I sent her had a cruise ship theme with a ship’s horn as the sound. When I asked her if she received it, I could feel her eyes light up, and we spent much of the next hour and a half discussing memories of many of the places she’d visited in her life. She loved to travel and loved to talk about her trips afterward, often light-hearted, funny stories. I am grateful that the last time I spoke to her our discussion was filled with laughter.
In any event, I am grateful for all of you here at the Frog Pond. Knowing you have my back during this time means a lot to me.
Thanks, again, for so much.
Steven D
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your mother, Steven. I hope those special memories of her are a comfort to you.
She sounds like a wonderful woman, and mother.
And the evidence of that, is you!
And you’ll always have the memories.
Best wishes.
My Pop died almost 2 years ago, and there’s not a day I don’t think of him, and miss him.
Steven, what a wonderful remembrance of your mother. I saw the news the other day, but had not had an opportunity, until now, to express my deepest condolences for your loss. She sounds like a remarkable woman and fantastic mother. Know that everyone here is thinking about you and your family. A mother is a precious thing to everyone, and the pain of losing them is just something that is beyond words. We send our love to all of you.
Steven, I remember I had to take four days off work for the funeral and arrangements. My retired sister was the executor so she did a lot more. Are you in a cash bind? Is there a way we can make (regrettably small) donations to you? Perhaps Paypal?
Thank you, but we’re fine. I appreciate the thought.
Such a heart rending life passage, the death of a parent.
I have not experienced it, but I have been told the death of one’s child is worse. It is the death of one who has been a large part of one’s life that is so intense.
When my father died at 73, my aunt told me that his younger brother, 71, cried all night, telling her stories from when they were boys together. My older sister, drills me in what to do when she dies, but absolutely refuses to contemplate that I may go first.
Steven, the outpouring, in large part, is a reflection of you – specifically, your willingness, and at times demonstrable courage, in sharing so much over the years about your own life and how it informs your politics and values. As such, even when they’re only virtual relationships, a lot of us respect and care about you, your life, and your welfare in a way that doesn’t happen with writers who confine themselves to narrow political polemics.
The condolences are real. You’ve earned them. Be well, my friend.
don’t even remember where that came from!