Sorry I haven't been replying back to comments and so on. I've been away from home for almost a month. As some of you might know my mother was diagnosed with small cell (lung) cancer last October. My mother was admitted to the hospital July 15 to have some test done because she was feeling sick for a little over a week. The test showed that her cancer had spread really fast over two months and was in her bones and probably in her brain. Two days later I received a phone call from my sister telling me that my mother was getting worse and the doctors didn't think she'd make the weekend. So my husband and I flew home to MS on July 18. I arrived to see my mother unconscious and all my family pacing the hospital room and halls. She had an UTI and was septic and she was entering the first stages of renal (kidney) failure. It was a really hard and upsetting weekend for my family. As Monday rolled around we thought this was it but that evening, out of the blue, my mother started waking up. All the doctors and nurses were really surprised. She starting getting better day by day. If she wasn't sleeping then she was talking up a storm and joking constantly. It was like she was making up for those few days she was out. She seemed to be doing great and her doctor had already talked about sending her home. I was fortunate enough to have spent most of those days and nights with her. But on July 29 her kidneys started shutting down again and over the next three days we slowly watched her slip away. She went into a coma by the weekend. She would wake up to stare at nothing and sometimes she would make sounds but she was completely unresponsive to our talking or touching her. Monday Aug 4 was her 62nd birthday and we tried to make it special for her even though she didn't know what was going on. Wednesday morning at 5:10 she passed away. The next few days were hectic. My father did arrangments the day she passed but myself and my brothers and sisters had a lot of loose ends that needed fixed. We waked her on Friday and had a funeral mass Saturday morning followed by her funeral. Everyone was in a daze and I'm still amazed my father made it through all of it, my parents have been together for 46 years. Sunday rolled around and next thing I know my husband and I are on a plane headed back to our home in Virginia. I just wanted to share this with everyone and let you all know that I'm holding up okay. It's really hard for me because my mother and I have always been so close. I'm the youngest of 8 children (4 boys & 4 girls) and my mom always referred to me as her baby. I also took after my mom in interest and personality. I've lived away from home for 10 years but tried to visit as often as possible just to spend time with my mom. I love the rest of my family but my mom has always meant the world to me. Right now, the hardest thing I'm dealing with is knowing she isn't going to call me. We were always calling one another to talk. I know as time goes I'll be okay but it's still hard. For the funeral mass the priest wanted someone to write a few things about my mom. Something short and sweet so he could know a little about her. So here's something I wrote. It doesn't tell everything about her. I don't think I could fill enough pages with what an amazing person she was. She was mine and my family's everything. She always will be!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Mary, was a loving and devoted companion and wife for 46 years to Stanley. She was an inspiration, role-model and amazing mother of 8 children, 16 grand-children, and 3 great-grand-children. She was very creative in many aspects and enjoyed drawing, painting, and quilting most. She loved music, whether it was listening or singing and she loved to relax with a good book. Family was very important; so cooking for the holidays was always looked forward to. Her favorite time of year was the Christmas parties when she shared time with her 10 sisters. She was everything good, a free spirit with a lively personality. She loved to socialize and thrived when around family and friends. She cherished past memories, whether it was with pictures or sharing stories and loved taking care of everyone around her. She was Strong in Heart, Body, Soul, and Faith! She will be Loved Forever and Missed Always!