Dear Anita,

Please accept my most sincere condolences at the passing of your mother. I'm going to go call my mother now.

Connie

Anita,
I would also like to offer you my sincere condolences with the loss of your mother. The pictures you included are just beautiful. How wonderful that she lived in her beloved home until the end and that family will continue to love the home she loved. Be strong .....Lesley

This is so sad and I'm very sorry for you and your family. It really is such a good thing that she lived out her final days in her own home. I also think it is wonderful that someone from the family will live in the home; that's just unheard of these days.

My condolences to you.

Lynn

I am happy for you that you were able to see her but happier still that she was able to live such a long and productive life.

What a great celebration of her life to be able to keep her property in the family and see a rose growing there, Wind Chimes, to keep her memory singing along. I know that her loss is great but her life seems even larger and that is what you can celebrate as you go forward, that she lived it to the fullest, her way, in her place and had productivity to the end.

That is truly a charmed and beautiful life, what a blessing.

I'm so sorry, Anita. Your pictures are beautiful, what a sense of space and peace. I love the fact that your family will still live there, and no doubt that would please your mom as well.

My own mother went the same way, and I remember saying to someone that she had had the best kind of life: Long and happy, and at the end, going so quickly. Who can ask for more?

The "Wind Chimes" being planted at the farmhouse is a lovely idea.

We will be glad to see you back with us at the Sacramento Cemetery Rose Garden. With sympathy, Laura

So sorry to hear of your loss. How wonderful that your mother was able to live to the age of 91 and still live alone, strong and independent. My condolences and thoughts are with you.

Please accept my condolences, Anita upon your mom's passing. When I read this, I don't feel sadness somehow although I know you will miss your mother very much but she has lead a long, productive life and had all her faculties right up to the end. And how wonderful to go out so quickly, as you said "we should all be so lucky". And how wonderful that your nephew with his young family is moving into such a beloved home. As someone stated, this is so rare in today's world. That a rose planted to honor her is so appropriate.

One of my Grandmother's died in her rose garden, the other in her kitchen BEFORE she did the dishes. Both made me smile.
Now as things move along, I am grateful that both passed at home.
How good it was that she shared you with Wooster for several days and that she could see that you had ties to the plant world that surrounded her.

Anita, my deepest sympathies on the loss of your Mom. It is a loving tribute to honour her memory with a rose.

I have also planted a rose, and a clematis, in my Mom's name (Josephine), and they make me smile and remember her every time I pass by.

My thoughts are with you.

Judith

Anita I'm sorry for your losss and pleased that family will continue to occupy the house.

Anita, I was sad to see the title of your post but found such peace in your writing and photos. It is such a warm and loving acknowledgment of her life and passing. Thank you for sharing it.

Sherry

Anita,
I am so sorry to hear that you lost your Mother....you have my heartfelt sympathy...

Anita, what a fabulous testimony to your love of your mother! Being able to grieve but not have to cling. To let a person go in spirit as you have in life. You are a good daughter. I am sorry for your loss.

Anita -- I am so very glad that she was able to stay there, in that beautiful house, and that your nephew and his family will live there next.

It makes a wonderful circle of family lives.
God bless her.

Jeri

That is a beautiful tribute to your dear mother. My mom went exactly the same way, at home, well and productive until the very last moment, then a massive stroke and gone instantly. No laying in the hospital hooked to machines, no torture by medical care. It was horrible for us to lose her so suddenly, but it was easier for her.

Hugs and best wishes.

Anita, please accept my heartfelt sympathy on the loss of your mother. Her picture shows her to have been a strong and vibrant woman, and how fortunate that she was able to fully live until she died in that beautiful home, which will now pass on to other family members. Thank you for sharing this touching tribute to her. It connects all of us to you and to her.

Ingrid

Anita, I am so sorry for your loss. How wonderful to have a Mom with you so long. And a gift she was able to be at home.
I hope you are doing alright. Make sure you get the support you need even if you don't want to ask, ask. It is very important to have your loved ones around or at least in touch. Take good care of yourself.
Big hugs,
Allison

Anita,

May I express my condolences on the death of your mother. I'm glad you got to be with her for her 91st and that she was able to live in the family home till the end and that your family will continue to live there and hopefully fill the yard with roses.

Hope to meet you in September.
Diane

Oh gosh..sincere condolences on the loss of your Mom. I lost mine 5 years ago..she had a long life! You were lucky to have her so long! And she went fast..what a way to go.

Anita, what a beautiful post and tribute.

My condolences on your loss. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Melissa

Anita,
Such a lovely post and so many kind words. May you celebrate her memory and look forward to the roses growing along with the kids.
My dad also passed away 10 years at 91 in his own bed.
Sincerely,
Mary

What a lovely tribute.
She raised a lovely daughter who we all appreciate.

((Hugs))

Janelle

My mother died at 70. Now, I think, gee, she'd only be 81. You're lucky, though it's hard to understand. She looks beautiful, still.

My sincere condolences at the passing of your mom. What a blessing that she was able to live productively on her own to the ripe old age of 91, and to pass quickly and gracefully. We should all be so lucky. It is also lovely to read that family will continue to inhabit the farmhouse, which indeed is almost unheard of these days. Your family has strong roots.

Image by Spidermite-z6-Ohio at Hortiplex.

Kay, My Mom was 76..and I still feel jealous when I see someone with a elderly parent. Losing your Mom at 70..well that must have been hard for you!

I will never forget asking my Mom if she still thought about Grandma alot..she was shocked at my question..she said "Oh Honey, I think about my Mother every single day". Since she has been gone I sure know what she meant now.

Anita, I'm so sorry for your mother's passing. As for her life, it sounds like she lived it the way she wanted right until the end...and that's good. It heartened me to hear that your nephew will be moving to her beautiful home and there will be a new chapter of life starting there...and roses too :)

I hope to see you in Ohio again.

Eric

hi, Anita - Michelle here, Eric's wife.

I'm so sorry to hear about your mother, but to echo others here - how great that she was able to live on her own in such a peaceful area of Ohio. I grew up near there, and the pictures reflect what a beautiful place it is. I'm so glad to hear that your family will continue in the house!

Anita, Thank you for the touching, inspiring and beautiful post in honor of your mother. I can see how special she was. You know my heart is with you at this sad time.

Anita, your photographs and words tell a story of a closeknit family of capable and kind people. I'm sad for your loss and send you warm thoughts from Marji and me. Your relationship with your mom has always touched me - you've been the kind of daughter every mother wishes for and I'm glad that the house will remain in the family. Wind Chimes is such a wonderful rose and will make a nice transition from "no-fuss" daisies.

Hugs,
Sue

Anita, you are in my thoughts and prayers. I'm sorry that you lost your Mom but it does sound like she "lived" her life until the last moment. What a blessing to be productive, obviously well loved, and content for 91 years!

Carol

So sorry to hear of your loss---Others have said it much better than I could but will also add it has to be comforting for you to know she was productive till the end.

How nice to have your nephew and his children carry on the tradition in the family home.

Florence-

Anita,
My thoughts and hopes are with you and your family on the loss of your mother. It's wonderful that the family will keep the home alive for another generation to explore and love as their predecessors have done. This is not always the case with valuable farmland as I know from experience.
Rob
BC:)

Anita, my sincere condolences on the loss of your mother. I hope your happy memories of times that you shared will comfort you in moments of missing her.

How lovely that her beautiful home passes on to new generations of your family. God bless your mother and everyone who loves her.

Pattie

Anita, what a lovely tribute to your mother! How old is she in that picture? She looks very healthy.

I think you have pulled heart strings from many of us who also have fond memories of parents.

Sammy

Anita, you brought tears to my eyes. What a beautiful celebration of her life you shared with us. I know how much you will miss her.

Sandy

I just lost my grandmother and this post made me tear up a bit, but I am thankful that you got to enjoy your mother for so many wonderful years and that she was doing well until her last days. My grandmother was so weak before she passed away a couple of weeks ago at the age of 94. She was doing very well until 91, then her health deteriorated a lot during those final three years.

I know you miss her, but she's always with you, because a big part of who you are is who she was. Thank you so much for sharing your Mom with us, and that very special photo of her and her home.

Randy

Anita, it is very hard to face the loss of a mother. Thank you for posting the beautiful tribute. I'm sure it caused each of us to think of our own mothers, living or not. You will never forget her, and you do not want to; but in time the tender affection of memory will outweigh its pain.

Rosefolly

Anita, the story of your mom and family has me in tears as I write this. Thank you for letting us know about her. I know she is in heaven smiling down at her family and happy that her home will still be filled with love and children. I wish you all the joy possible and I know you have many great memories.

Juliet

Hi -
I'm back in Sacramento, and greatly appreciate all of your kind words. Thanks so much. I was planning to respond to each of you individually, but I'm overwhelmed by your support.

My mother was 89 in that photo. For the last 11 years of her life, she was legally blind from macular degeneration, and had only peripheral vision. With typical energy, ingenuity and tenacity, and some help from family and friends, she persevered.

I heard from neighbor after neighbor what an inspiration she was to them. One said, "She wasn't just matriarch of your family. She was matriarch to the community." It makes me very proud to be her daughter.

I'm the executor, and will be back in Ohio a lot for a while. I'll miss the Sacramento cemetery rose garden, my home garden and my life here, but there's something to be said for sorting through the stuff, reliving the memories, and spending time with my family back there.

Thank you again for all of your sweet postings. I'm doing ok. It's good to be back home - although my mother's house is home, too.
Anita

Hi, Anita...Thank you so much for sharing this experience with us. Your initial post was so beautiful and touching, and the above follow up was appreciated, as well. I think all of us grow up dreading the loss of our mothers. That day came two years ago for my sister, brother and myself. Mom was 87, and an avid gardener her entire life. Her last year was bittersweet, as we saw her mind change so drastically. We had to keep a sense of humor when she would sneak "cuttings" of just about anyone's plants, and stick them in a pot with dirt, and expect it to grow. Plants were such a big part of her life. Your mom sounds like a very special woman, and I'm very happy for her and for all your family that she had such a great life.
Barb

I am truely sorry for you Anita and everyone else who has lost their mother. If you think about it, mothers everywhere are gardners because they give birth and grow children up to be adults. It is amazing to watch a mother have children and raise them and plant flowers or veggies or trees and raise them too. Almost everything a mother touches in her life will grow even long after the mother dies. What a legacy! My mother is ill, and I moved hundreds of miles to be close to her and take care of her now (I moved from a very nice climate of the Central Coast of California to the Hot windy dry desert) I will NEVER regret it, regardless of what God has in store for her and I am VERY thankful that I am able to be with her now. (((hugs)))

Anita, I am so sorry to hear of your mother's death. No matter how long our mothers are with us, it is never enough. She must have been quite a magnificent woman - I hope your memories of this very special lady are a true comfort.