Remembering Mimi

During this holiday season, there is always one day that causes my family to stop in their tracks. The joy and anticipation of Christmas comes to a halt.  The rush to buy presents and finish the Christmas cards is put aside.  Tears are shed, emails are exchanged, phone calls are made.  December 15 is the anniversary of my Mimi's (Nora O'Connor) death.  It was 20 years ago today and while certainly time has healed the pain from that day and period in our lives, there is nothing that can replace the void left by her leaving this world.

Words cannot express what a phenomenal, wonderful, funny, caring, joyful woman Mimi was. She was a mother to Mary, Pat, Tara and Nora, a grandma to many of us grandchildren and the "great-one" (great-grandma) to several great-grandchildren. 

I could spend all day writing about Mimi, our fun memories and our last moments with her before she died.  But I could not do justice to her legacy and everyone in our family has their own special memories that have been shared over the years.

I will share a few thoughts that were sent over email this morning and over the years.

From my mom:
“I thought about how incredible it is in life to be at peace, with yourself, your family, your God. She did not fear what was ahead, her faith was too strong. She embraced life fully and it was the same with death.”

From my aunt Nora:
“To know her was to be blessed; to be her family was to be on the receiving end of ultimate love”

From my cousin Patty:
"Love is what shines through - imagine the love mimi gave to us all - to mom, Pat, Tara and Nora, so that they could know how to love us. The love mimi gave us is reflected now in our children's faces - how lucky we are to have started life embraced with such wonderful devoted love. What a sad day to reflect back on, but also a day to remember the greatness which was mimi."

From my cousin Kate:
"The unconditional love that we all feel from all of you is a priceless gift that we receive everyday. One that we are all grateful for and our lives our much more complete knowing that you are here for us in any and every way.  Aunt Tara, Nora, Pat and Mum you certainly carry on the tradition of being fun and so loving like Mimi. Mimi would be so proud of all of her "little family."

From my cousin Kerri:
"I can't help but to also think of 20 years ago today when Tara and my mom came into my purple bedroom on Riley Ridge to tell Ryan and me that Mimi died. Seems like so long ago. I miss her, think of her often, and I'm grateful that I have all of you to share memories and stories about her."

Mimi went to church every day (usually walking to get her exercise - probably a couple of miles), she had a deep, unwavering faith that she was proud of.  And she had, as my east coast cousins would say, a wicked sense of humor.  She experienced great loss in her life and many struggles, but through it all, she maintained a passion for life, family, friends and God.

She was such a fun grandma!  She baked with us, had us over for sleepovers, and fed us junk food.  Kerri remembers her melting cheese on doritos and serving neopolitan ice cream for dinner to Kerri and Ryan and letting them eat it in front of tv.  I know that my mom and aunts do not have any memories of that happening when they were children - ha!

We all have memories of her last few weeks, days, and hours.  I clearly remember a few days before she went in for surgery, I leaned over to kiss her goodbye for the night and she whispered in my ear "Say a little prayer for me."  I walked out of her apartment absolutely stunned... she had never, ever asked me to do anything for her.  She was the most humble, caring and selfless person I have ever met.

We celebrate her life today and share our memories.  We keep her memory alive and we see her in our moms and aunts and cousins.  We treasure every memory we have, we hold them close and dear, some we share and some we hold in our hearts.  So today, we celebrate and remember Mimi.