Reminders.

Mom,

I finally went though most of the stuff in your room. It was not as hard as I thought it would be, and then harder then I thought as well. I'm sure that you understand. I felt like I had an elephant sitting on my chest while I was doing it, but then I also had a feeling of moving forward. This doesn't mean that I don't think about you every day. I think it just means that now I am making progress in incorporating you in my life without so much pain.

You have some beautiful jewelry that I don't remember ever seeing you wear. I even found the diamond earrings that J1 gave you for Mother's Day one year, and they still had the original tags on them. I have decided to wear them myself, and when H gets old enough I will give them to her so she can have a piece of you. I hope it will become a family tradition for us. I figure that you must have been thinking that you would save all your nice jewelry for when you went out but since you were so sick for so long those opportunities didn't present themselves very often.

Speaking of often, I have compiled your absolute favorite clothes, including all of your really comfy stuff, and I'm going to make a quilt for the me and the kids to use. I want them to know you even though you aren't physically here anymore. That and it will comfort me to have your favorite things to keep me warm. I know you're laughing a little right now because I don't know how to quilt yet, but I'm going to learn. I've had kids, I learned how to put in an electrical socket, surely I can handle a quilt! :o) I know that's what you would say.

I'm going to finally graduate with my Associates of Science in May. I'm going to walk this time, not like high school where I skipped it out of spite, and I'm proud of myself. I know that you are too. I start on my Bachelor's in the fall. I was going to try to go to UC Denver but the housing market is so soft that I think we'll be staying put for a while. This means that I will probably go to TSU. A fine school to be sure and I am still excited about going there, like I was when we talked about it years ago! I was just hoping in a small part of me to go to Denver to be close to your side of the family.

I absolutely adore your family mom! I think they like me too! ;o) Oh, Auntie M just called I'll write more later.

Love you.