Hearts of Hope has a way of helping people heal; through painting a simple heart, it allows the painter to put their love, caring, and emotions into action and create a wave of positivity that goes out into the universe....
This is a condensed excerpt from the speech given that night at the celebration of a life well loved:
I want to welcome all of you on behalf of Swede and myself and thank you for your love and support these past few months since Mom's passing. I realize for some of you, it was hard to understand our not having services following her passing, but if you knew my mom, you know she never wanted a public wake or funeral, and even though it was difficult for us as a family, we followed her wishes.
Today is my mom's birthday, her first birthday in Heaven, and I am missing her terribly. She was my best friend and we had so many adventures together and we had so much fun! We had so many more plans for the future that we will never get to finish. I am so grateful to have had her as my mom. She was my cheerleader, my sounding board, the person who would push me out of my comfort zone and "force" me to venture out into so many personal adventures that helped me to grow and blossom into the person I am today.
Mom never wanted to be the center of attention, she liked to be in the background helping out, watching those around her shine. She never wanted a party for herself, but would go to them to celebrate other peoples birthdays or accomplishments. If she was alive, she would have refused to come to a party this size in her honor, but I know she is here tonight.
You all know how she felt about each of you, whether you were family by blood or by marriage, you were the family of her heart and she loved each one of you more than words could say. She was not one to say I love you, but her actions always showed how she felt about you. Never doubt how much she truly loved you.
I hope she is looking down at us and realizes how many lives she touched and what a difference she made in all of our lives.
June 8, 2017
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