I also wanted to share this...

Please excuse the little > marks...sorry. This is the tribute that I read at my mom's funeral. I wrote it at about 3am the day after she died (It took me 4 days to finally sleep after I found out she died.) I still haven't really started eating again. I'm lucky if I swallow one meal a day. Anyone who knows me though knows I have reserves and certainly won't starve!

My Mother has been the single greatest influence on my life. She is the> one who not only comforted me when I was teased at school, but taught> me how to have the confidence and intelligence to know how to ignore it> and stand up for Myself. She has always encouraged my desire to learn> more about myself and to consider how my actions may affect others.> She was always a great listener… willing to answer my frequent and> frantic phone calls that ranged from “Can you send me twenty bucks for> groceries” to "I'm lost in Edmonton again" to “ My boyfriend just broke> up with me” to "So how long do I cook that for?" My mom was also my> best friend. She encouraged me to follow my dream of being a> teacher, listened to me cry about how I was certain to fail. She knew I> wouldn’t and offered a hearty “ Suck It UP!!!”………..That may sound> harsh, but my mom knew I WOULD succeed. She was so proud of me and I> hope of herself, for knowing she had been an example to me of courage,> compassion, confidence, perseverance and PASSION. My Mother cared> about the community and always made sure that her daughters learned to> be independent and strong like her. One of the ways she did this was by> making sure that a community of role models and Christian strength> surrounded D and I. Women like (insert names of great woman here...I can't post them) and so many many more. Men> like insert names of great men here and of course my wonderful Father, whom she chose so well. My> mother taught me the importance of family by encouraging me to attend> family gatherings, keep in contact with my amazing Auntie’s &> Uncles who lived so far away. And by helping me learn about the> important bond of sisterhood, by how she modeled it, in her care for my> Aunt S. When I was in grade 2 I wanted to be a nurse like> my mom but by Jr. High, my dream was to be a teacher. I didn’t really> realize it them but I guess my mom was a teacher all along…. In My> classroom I teach math and language arts but in her classroom I learned> compassion, independence, community, family. She lived a great life and> she taught me how to as well. I AM my mother’s daughter, and DARN PROUD> OF IT TOO!