Mom's Eulogy(11/7/2008)

During World War II in Operation Overlord, Allied paratroopers carried a tiny device called a clicker. They used this device as a way of coverting communication. If one click was returned by two clicks, they knew they were in good company.

When I was young, these Clickers were a popular toy; we called them Crickets. They probably cost a total of 3 1/2 cents but we loved them. I remember being at a picnic. They were having races. The prize for placing was a Cricket, so I eagerly entered the race. The other children in the race were all older and I was easily smoked. Naturally, I did what any small child would do; I ran crying to mom. My mother took me back to the line where another race was about to start. As the race began, she put me on her shoulders and raced to the finish line. I won the coveted Cricket! For the next week, I had the pleasure of annoying everyone in the house with my new toy.

There is an old saying that one mother can take care of several children but several children cannot take care of one mother. I am happy to say that was not the case here. Three years ago, my brother Michael and sister-in-law Katie dedicated a room in their home to our mother's care. She told me many times on my visits her appreciation of what everyone in the house was doing for her. I witnessed first hand as my nieces Mary Kate and Christina and my nephew Michael performed their chores often with smiles on their faces. This was truly a labor of love.

Know that today she is smiling down upon you!

Throughout life, we learn a tremendous amount from those that touch our lives. Perhaps our greatest teachers are our mothers. What my mother taught me I would like to pass on to my own children. It is this: "It's not the fastest runner that wins the race, but the one that stays in the race the longest that is the true winner."

Thanks Mom! You are in good company. (Pull toy clicker from pocket and raise it in the air making two distinct clicks).