Day 26 - Condolences

My whole family participated in this give. We got a call from our friend Donna, whose Mom was our youngest son's babysitter for the first 4 years of his life. She told us that her Mom, Maxine, had passed away on Dec 10th. We were all saddened. She was such an amazing person! Words cannot express the gratitude I feel for her loving, nurturing care of my youngest son. But more than that I admired the way she lived life to the fullest. She embodied the motto "if you can't do anything about it, let it go". She never worried about things that she couldn't change and I never saw her get angry or raise her voice. Also, she was always there to help a friend in need....nothing was too much trouble for her to do on behalf of a friend in need. She was always ready for a road trip or an adventure. She was a master at making the best of every situation...even waiting in long lines was fun with her! She was always quick with a smile and had a mischievous twinkle in her eye...a playfulness that kept her looking much younger than her years.

I wrote a long letter to Donna recounting all my memories and the things that I admired about Maxine. My husband and son's all wrote their memories too. I hope in some way it helps to comfort Donna at this very difficult time. She will be in our thoughts and prayers and I am going to try to call her once a week for awhile just to check in on her. Her Mom was her only immediate family....she lost her brother a few years ago.

Rest in Peace Maxine! You made this world a better place for all who knew you!