Linda Ann June 11, 1958~June 25, 2009

A Biography of the Loving Mother, Wife, and Loved One

 My mom, Linda, was born on a beautiful June day; June 11, 1958.  

 She was born in New Jersey, and at a young age, she moved with her family to Connecticut.  She had a brother, my uncle, and her mom and dad, my grandmother and grandfather.

As she got older, they adopted a black lab and named her Charlie.  She was so kind to everyone, as I've heard, and nestled in on your lap if you were sad or feeling alone.  

She went to college at Colby-Sawyer College.  She told me of a story when my grandmother, her mother went to pick her up in the winter and the car heater was broken and there was about two feet of snow on the ground!  

Later, she met my dad.  She was a secretary of someone with whom my dad was working on a project.  They got married in 1991.  

A few years later, I was born and became the huge focal point of their lives.  I was a lucky girl, and still am.  

In 2000, we moved to a new house where we lived for 13 years.  As a surprise one summer, my mom and grandfather painted my room pink, my favorite color at the time.

In 2003, we adopted our yellow lab, Molly.

She is the light of our lives.  She is the one who I have relied on to help me through my grief.  

Back to my mother, in 2004, she had to have brain surgery due to a brain tumor.  She had the procedure and came home.  She recovered fully, and led a normal life.

We went to the Cayman Islands for spring break, we went to Kiawah Island with family, and we traveled all the time. I even went to the Christian-Science summer camp my mom and uncle went to in Maine when they were growing up.  

My mom joined Weight-Watchers to lose the weight she had gained from the medications she had to take.  She lost most of the weight she wanted to lose, and was very pleased with herself.  

Then, in 2009, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer; the most difficult battle of her entire life.  She was put on chemotherapy.  She had many times of switching between living in the hospital and living at home in a hospital bed.  She turned 52 on June 11th of that year, and was failing slowly.  She was surrounded by family and friends all the time.  I was there for most of it, and was only 12 years old.  I hated being at my home, and would do anything to be away from my mom.  I was afraid of when my mom's death would occur.  

Finally, on June 25, 2009, my mom, the beautiful, strong, amazing Linda passed away surrounded by my grandparents, four hospice nurses, my dad, and me.  We knew it was time, and knew she was at peace.  

My dad and I went through heck and back through each other's grief, feeling pain whenever we saw moms and daughters having fun, or husbands and wives sitting together.  My family stuck together through thick and thin, and we still do.

~~~~~~

This is my story, but really my mom's.  It is the very shortened version, but I wanted to let you all know that I can totally relate to how you all feel, because my mom died right in my own home.  I will forever love her, and I know that my grief will someday feel better, and I will be able to stand up straight again.

Creating this helped me more than you may think, and I believe that if you wrote an "obituary" or "biography" or your loved one's life, it would help tremendously.

It can make your journey so much easier.  Just sit down with a piece of paper and a pen or pencil or in front of a computer screen and write the story or stories of your loved one(s) lives.  It makes the memories we had with them more fun to think about, and it makes us think about the things our loved ones did and not just that they died, but maybe helped in a charity or played a lot of sports or had ten children, something like that.  It's a fun exercise I think all of us could benefit from, and don't worry! No one would have to read it, it's just for you!

Here is a post to help you get started writing~

http://www.connect.legacy.com/inspire/how-to-write-an-obituary-or

The pictures from above are mine.

Good luck and As Always,

Elizabeth