I treasure the times I've been blessed to be around this wonderful woman. Having to have grown up in the same neighborhood as her kids, I would spend hours, if not days at her home. She was full of love and life. Even after retiring, she refused to stop working. Not so for the money but according to her, for the purpose of being. She never wasted a minute. I never saw her idle. She was either on the computer doing odd jobs to pass her time or cooking up an awesome batch of one of her awesome recipes that ought to be banned in some states. She always spoke kindly of others but would not hesitate to cut you down if your reasoning was flawed. She was a strong and and the same time kind whose only weakness was for her children. That’s how mothers should be. That’s how Mommy beamed. I got to see her one last time before she passed. Her eyes still shone that brilliance of a fighter that she always was, but her body and movement said the opposite. It was painful to see her without that usual glow of what then seemed an endless amount of health. I truly regret not seeing her again. You've been nothing but sweet and nice to me. The story of life is quicker than the wink of an eye, the story of love is hello and goodbye...until we meet again mommy.