As I sit to gather my thoughts, I can't help but revisit my last post: life abundantly so. It’s been eleven years today since my mom died. She personified life abundantly so... a life full of laughter, a life full of friends, a life full of love, a life full of yes ands.

Many of you didn't have the joy of meeting Reine, and for that I am sorry. She would have loved you, as she loved many. She loved people, was curious, welcoming, and funny. She had a gift of remembering your details, she wouldn't say: Oh, how is Janel, or Amy or Maggie...she would say: Tell me, how is Janel's son, Aidan, doing with baseball? Has Amy taught you to play Bunco, yet? Has Brett started his band? Are you and Liz going to visit Maggie in Albuquerque? You need to visit your friends.

She believed in making two new friends a year. Mom, you would be proud. I have at least 22 new friends whom I would have loved you to meet. It has been eleven years; I still miss you.

Pause. Take time to reflect on where you are, where you have been, and where you are going. Over the last decade, what brought you to this place and space? Honor your journey, and the people, honor the people in your lives. Tell them what you learned from them, reminisce about what you have laughed about, and make new memories, all the while laughing.

Reine taught me how to have fun, read passionately, and be alone without loneliness. I have a lot of alone time, and I am grateful my mom taught me to never be bored.

I was 45 when she passed away, we were planning on going to Morocco with her and Steve for my 5oth, even though she couldn't fathom why in the world I wanted to go there of all places. To ride a camel, of course, to taste and see the spice markets and to wear a Fez, or that's what Steve wants. Having a hat collection, she would appreciate that. Yes, hats... it was her party trick, if a party was boring and needed to be stepped up a notch, she would pull out the hats... all kinds of hats: fedoras, berets, straw hats, baseball, cowboy, bowlers, buckets, pillbox, tiaras, and tea hats, fascinators, all from her trunk, always her golf clubs and her hats. What is your party trick? Where is your dream vacation?

Pause this summer. Learn a new trick. And plan a dream vacation or at least a weekend getaway. Doctor’s orders, seriously: Travel. And take on ALS with all you’ve got. Hats off to ALS Awareness Month. 1 in 300, for many of you that means 2 of your friends on Facebook.

I'm glad she didn't know I would suffer. She would hate it, not like y'all. Literally, she hated hospitals, doctors, and all that jazz. She would like to know Dr. Alpers appreciates fresh grapefruit cocktails. At our last clinic, when he shared that my functional rating scale went from 41, to 31, and then up to 37, we asked, what next? How do we prepare for the next phase, he said, point blank: Travel. So, maybe, just maybe Morocco! Let's go!
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Wishing you joy, and time to relax on the back patio with a burger and beer, all while reading the Sunday paper. One of our favorite things to do together. Here's to you, Mom!

Love, Victoria