No Need To Become Unglued

Please bear with me as many posts will relate to the recent passing of my mother.

As I continue to experience the many things that happen when a loved one passes away, it is becoming obvious that my mother was really the glue that kept family relationships going. She was not so much of a matriarch - a hub through which all family communications must go. She was more "behind the secenes" and would give gentle hints about birthdays, anniversaries, special events, illnesses, deaths, etc. The implied message was "it might be nice to call or send a card".

When I called my uncle - my mother's brother - to let him know about my mother's death, his final words during the conversation were "Remember, we are still a family".

I have a niece that is living in another country. She has expressed concerns that, now that my mother has died, she may never see any of her aunts and uncles. She has already been assured that her aunts and uncles plan to be there for important events in her life.

Perhaps biggest honor that my siblings and I pay to my mother is to not only keep the family relationships going, but to put forth an active effort to make those relatiosnhips stronger.