This Makes it 15 Years

It still doesn't make sense to me. How can I have lived - how did I survive? How did I manage to keep my body moving all these years with a broken heart? July 2nd is the anniversary of my mama's passing. This year makes it 15 years. Half of my lifetime. For my brother and sister, it's been most of their lives. Devin was 6 and Chandler was turning 5 a few months after our mama went to heaven. I'm still not sure which of us got the worst deal. I know what I'm missing. So does Devin. Chandler has very few memories since she was so young. I try my best to share stories with her so she knows how special our mama was - not that it's a big secret ;)

Usually I write a long post of remembrance, but this year I want to make things a bit brighter. Here's a picture of my mama and my cousin Kathy in a kiddie pool in the summer of 1965. Look at that innocent grin and that crazy blonde hair. Being the youngest of six children, mama was an auntie by the time she was four years old. Crazy, eh?

July 1965, Toronto

Just like last year, I'm asking for a teensy favour of my sweet readers. This weekend when you're celebrating our country's birth (for the canucks anyways), look up at the stars and gaze in awe at the fireworks and if you could send a little smile to my mama up there, I'd be forever grateful. I also know that mama (or Mina as she was called by her big brothers, big sisters, nieces, nephews and parents) would thinks it's pretty rad.