My angel mother

[Rob Wick]

Thanks all for the kind words. It's been a rough day, but her memory keeps me going. I delivered the eulogy at her funeral and when I closed, I said this:

I think the greatest gift my mother ever gave me was the love of reading. After Dad died, she bought a set of World Book encyclopedias and also enrolled me in the Dr. Seuss book of the month club. I spent several rainy Saturday afternoons--and probably some sunny ones as well--reading those encyclopedias and other books.
One of the ways I coped with Mom’s illness was through reading. I finished a novel by the writer William Styron and immediately bought all the books he had published, including a book of essays.
One of those essays was on the writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald wrote a letter of condolence to friends who had lost two sons within three years. There was a quote that just as soon as I read it I knew would have to be shared when this day came.
Fitzgerald wrote “Who was it who said it was astounding how deepest grief can change in time to a sort of joy? The golden bowl is broken indeed, but it was golden; nothing can ever take those boys away from you now.”
As long as we keep and cherish our memories, no one will ever take that golden soul away from us.

Best
Rob