Today family, friends, and co-workers gather to remember the life of my mother, Carol Jean Driver. None of us want to say this final goodbye but there is no choice. She has been gone from us a little over a week already.
Mom’s service will be held at Mount Vernon Memorial Park & Mortuary on Monday, January 23 at 1pm followed by grave side at 2pm. A viewing will be held at noon.
January 19, 2010
Not the least hard thing to bear when they go from us, these quiet friends, is that they carry away with them somany years of our lives. Yet, if theyfind warmth therein, who would begrudge them those years that they have so guarded? And whatever they take, be sure they have deserved.” -John Galsworthy
For several years on July 4th family and friends gathered at my parents house for lunch and after the fireworks at the mall to light off fire crackers in the drive way and eat dessert. Two years in a row, at least, James mom and step-dad joined us. My mom and James mom would just be silly all day and after the mall they would divvy up the little poppers, “One for you and one for me”. Then they would count together to three and then throw them at the ground where they would make a fun little popping noise and then they would do it all over again. Our moms were incredibly fun to watch and I missed seeing the fun this year. My mom was very sick in the hospital for two months this year. We all missed the light hearted spirit and joy. I’ll always fondly remember those years we spent having fun together and I’ll probably buy a box of poppers every year to throw in her memory.
My parents 39th anniversary card. They didn’t get to celebrate on New Years Eve like they wanted because Mom wasn’t feeling very well and the next day she went into the hospital for the last time.
Dad wants to display the card with their rings at the funeral. All counting they were together for 46 years.
I always loved watching my mom cut her finger nails. Her fingers were always long and elegant and she kept her nails short and clean. Little white cresants always showed perfectly. As I grew up and grew out my nails she would always wonder out loud how I was able to keep my nails long. Over the last year her nails lost a lot of that elegance to chemo. Her fingers became frail. On several occasions I had to help her trim her finger and toe nails and was always happy to help and then provide a nice foot massage like she always liked, With lotion of course. I know it wasn’t as enjoyable with the numbness and tingling but it helped her circulation when she wasn’t able to walk and gave her memories of when we used to sit on her bed trading foot massages while we talked. It’s a tradition her mom passed on to her and her to me.