In loving memory of a remarkable woman

It is with a mixture of great sadness but also immense gratitude that I write this tribute to my dearly beloved mom-in-law. I have had the honor of sharing her life for the past 13 years, and it has been a most humbling time for me in so many ways.
In today's life it is always inspiring to meet people who are accepting and kind. People who are unafraid to love and hold dear those closest to them. She was just such a woman. The world we live in is driven by status and success, to the point where family is almost certainly left in the wake of chasing the coveted prize of glory, but she had a different set of values. Family first... always.

In the last few days since her passing away I have thought about all her qualities and character traits, trying to put words to how I knew and felt about her. I thought about all the things that made her who she was to try and summarize this remarkable woman. She was loving, accepting and understanding, devoted in all her ways and expressions. She was opinionated and straightforward, but never intrusive. Always willing to lend an ear and always with a kindhearted smile, she would listen to your thoughts and feelings.

All these attributes I will remember for as long as I live, but the one that I will hold dearest, the one that encapsulates her best, was her elegance.

The picture above is one of my favorites of her, capturing her beauty and eloquence in a peaceful moment of reflection. This picture reminds me somewhat of a young Lady Diana, blissfully serene and secure within herself. Regal yet tough, both luxurious and diligent. I could easily imagine her in high society, sipping tea with the Queen, as I could imagine her raising a family in humble homestead.

She had the golden touch, a touch of class. She would invite us for Sunday lunch and would go through painstaking effort to ensure we had the best she had to offer, and best it certainly was. Whether she was roasting veggies or cooking authentic Italian pasta, or even making just a plain old green salad, she would make it as though she was preparing it for the finest establishments in Europe. She put her heart and soul into it and made it better then what it needed to be. She made everything better.
She loved her grandchildren and they adored her. They were drawn to her, as her irresistable character and warm personality dictated. She had all the time in the world for them, and us all.
She held our family traditions dearly. She loved watching the little ones open their gifts at Christmas time, and she loved watching them have fun, as grannies do. She was happy when we were happy. I suppose it was because of her tremendous sharing heart that she felt joy when those she loved were cheerful and happy. It was that same sharing heart that caused her to be so vastly compasionate too.

We will certainly miss her in times to come, and we will never forget her. The memories we have will remain with us untill the end of time. It was an honor as a son to have known and loved her, to be reminded of those things that matter in life. Her values will be held up high by those she left behind... her mother, sisters, husband, children, grandchildren and friends.

Untill we meet again... mom.

Back again, after going AWOL for a while

It has been a while since I've had something to say, as January was somewhat of a frantic month. As a husband and father with a full-time job, my free time is somewhat limited and it is only once all house chores have been done, homework checked and kids put through bath and bed that I have time to myself. As mentioned in my last post, I have set out to accomplish a number of things this year, under which I resolved to compile a mobile app. This has occupied most of my time, as I have been collecting data, building a web page and planning the operational aspects of the app itself. I am pleased to announce that it might just be ready for release in time to meat the deadline I set for it. I have to set deadlines for myself, and drastic ones at that, else procrastination creeps in and sucks the life right out of my ventures. (Rule number one for breaking into a skate park... throw your skateboard over the fence)

That has also only been the half of it. Tragedy struck our family recently with the passing away of my mother-in-law. She suddenly and very unexpectedly passed away, leaving us somewhat bewildered and very sad at the same time. This has been an incredibly harsh time for us. Most of my family live close to us and we see each other regularly. This if course means that her passing will leave us with an immense void that simply can not be filled. My next post will be a tribute to my mother-in-law. She was a woman close to my heart and I will gladly share some of my thoughts and emotions regarding this remarkable lady.

There has also been some good news. Friends of mine who have been struggling to fall pregnant have finally received the good news that they will be parents soon. Life is just full of surprises. There is sweet with the bitter.

As you can see, the first part of 2014 was hectic, to say the least, but more about that later. This is then where I leave this post.

God bless.