Hi Everyone,
I've just had this note from Gemini and she wanted me to post it for all of you to read so here it is.
Thank you for your concern and prayers, I really appreciate it. We were able to borrow some money from Matthew's best friend to make the trip. So we went to my sister's place on Thursday night, then followed them to Toronto yesterday to the funeral.
Liam (Linda's son) seems to be holding up pretty well. He told me he feels a bit guilty because he hasn't cried yet. I told him it will happen when it happens... and when it does to just let it out and not try to hold it back. He gave a eulogy and did very well... but his voice did crack at the end, then he just stopped talking and said "Thank you for coming" and came to sit back down again.
There was quite a few people who came to Linda's service, and everone was upset... she touched a lot of lives with her kindness, generousity and loving ways. Her friend had brought pictures in (that she and Liam had sorted through) and they were set up in frames in the side lounge for everyone to see. Some of them were pictures of Linda with other people too... like her Mom, her son, me, and some of her friends. There were also two very pretty pictures of Linda (taken about two years ago... before they found the cancer the first time) set up in the room with the casket. That was so nice, because Liam chose to leave the coffin open for her family and friends to view her if they wanted to... and she didn't look like she would want to be remembered... but those pictures *did* show her in her healthier and happier days with a beautiful smile that would light up any room she was in.
The same friend brought a CD of soft jazzy music to be played during the viewing before the service. Very much the style of music Linda liked. I told Liberty (her friend) that, and she laughed and said "Yeah, but Linda *really* loved rock 'n roll (I knew that... we loved a lot of the same music), and I thought that might be just a bit too loud for a funeral, even though Linda would have laughed and loved it." I had to agree, she would have laughed and loved it.... she likely would have done it just to see the look on people's faces, knowing her. :o)
At one point Matthew overheard Liam tell his best friend that he could really use a cigarette. Matthew had a long talk with him and told him flat out that his Mom would be really upset that he was even considering smoking, considering what she had gone through herself. He also told him that after seeing the way his Mom had deteriorated we did not ever want to see anyone else that we care about going through that. Liam said that his friend had talked him out of if and just walked him around outside a bit to shake off the feeling of needing a cigarette. He thanked Matthew and told him he wouldn't smoke. Hopefully he can stick with it, as his Mom would be so upset if he started smoking again and ended up with terminal cancer like she had.
Before we left I gave Liberty my email address (we will keep in touch) for her to email me most of the pictures that were at the funeral home of Linda as well as some others she had gone through in a bag in her car. I have a few pictures of Linda, but I can't find my photoalbums at the moment... and I know I don't have half of the pictures that were there. We also stopped to speak with Liam again (of course) to reassure him that we were just a phonecall away or even just the other end of the computer... I'm on during the day and Matthew is on in the evenings. He said he hoped to be able to get us back down there to his apartment after things settle down a bit, to have a proper day to honor his Mom privately... where we can laugh and tell stories about her. We would love to do that, and we told him we want him to come up to our place too and he said he would.
I'm pretty sure he will either be with Linda's friend or with his own best friend for Christmas, and won't be alone. Thank goodness, because I don't want him to be alone the first Christmas after losing his Mom. We will definitely be keeping in touch though, we all promised that... we are, afterall, the only actual family he has left now.
Nora for Gemini