Eulogy to a Mother

June 15, 1930 – July 25, 2019

God’s greatest gift to mankind is life. Mothers are the vehicle by which life travels. It is this gift – the ability to carry life and gently nurture it in preparation for entry into the world – that God has given to women, and women only.

Marie Grace was – is – a Mother … my Mother. She cuddled and coddled us – that is, my brother Ronnie, my sister Kathy, and me – from the miracle of conception through birth. Hers was the first soft voice we heard among the gurgling waters and beating heart in the womb. Though I was there, I cannot possibly know the feeling of carrying another life … of being a Mother. What a fantastic responsibility God has bestowed.

And then, there is the child. I was one of those, as were we all. My Mother gave me unconditional love throughout my turbulent life. She carried me in her arms as I suckled at her breast, she changed my diapers, kept me fed, clean and happy. As I grew, she and my loving Father, settled me in our own little Nirvana on Earth … a 100 x 50 foot piece of paradise … the tiny nest where I grew up, went to school, and eventually learned to fly from.

My Mom took me to see movies, the first of which scared the living daylights out of me … “The Wizard of Oz,” now one of my all-time favorites. She took me to see, “Zulu,” of all things. She kept my horizons wide.

Of course, I was a little Angel, perfect in every way. Well, OK, I lie. She may have looked at me as such, but in actuality, in my spare time, I was a little hellion. I was so bad, at times, that once she threw a dinner plate at me – right across the table. That was the only time in my life that I can recall her expressing real anger toward me.

Through all the trials and tribulations, my Mother’s love was steady and true. Once my Dad passed away at an early age, she picked herself up by the boot-straps and went to school to get her degree in education. What a fine example she set.

In my older years, though we were apart, she was always there with me. If not in person, then via beautiful cards, “care” packages, phone calls. There. Always.

She was so full of love. It is difficult for me to comprehend the amount of love she not only had, but could selflessly share with everyone. She would call on my birthday and sing “Happy Birthday To You” on the phone. The whole thing! She would text me to say how terrific Clayton Kershaw pitched that night against her Mets. Her “care” packages that she would regularly send, filled with goodies and treats – like I was still her little boy – carried with them her ever-flowing love. Just the other night, I was eating some of the goodies from her latest package. I got to the last bite … a little chocolate covered caramel wrapped in colorful foil with a red heart and “I Love You” on it … I couldn’t open it, much less eat it. It hit me, right then, how much I was going to miss this wonderful woman who, by the grace of God, was my Mother.

I feel I pale in comparison in my ability to love. She was matchless.

She was an Angel on Earth. Now, she has become an Angel in Heaven. And like in life, I am certain that still she will always be there … with me … for me. God must be so proud of her.

I know I am. She truly honored his Gift.

I love you, Mom! We all love you!