Mom passed at 1:40am on Monday, Dad on February 23rd, 2014. This photo is how I imagine Mom and Dad now…

It’s been a very special 9 days since I redirected my trip home from San Diego and me my brother Jeff at my Mom’s bedside on Saturday March 28th… would not have missed this for anything. Something we didn’t have with Dad. We are all very fortunate, including Mom.

“You only have what you give. It’s by spending yourself that you become rich.” ~Isabel Allende  *By this standard my Mom, Bernice Rubin, was so incredibly rich! (see my Facebook posts the past few days… https://facebook.com/tedrubin)

We spent very special Moments with Mom during the first few days after we arrived… sharing memories, feelings, just holding hands.

This is my favorite photo of us… Long Beach July 1959.

“Men are what their mothers made them.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

As a child Mom was a much bigger part of my daily life than Dad, as an adult I was much closer to Dad… and my relationship with Mom suffered for many years.

But the past 14 months repaired that relationship, and in my dear childhood friend Michelle Bogin’s words… brought us a new closeness. A closeness I am incredibly thankful for, but one that makes this all the more difficult. I’ve had a routine of visiting with Mom about every three weeks, have come to look forward to it, even dislike leaving, and will miss that terribly.

I very much want to honor my Mom, a women who gave so much to so many as a Mom, Teacher, and Volunteer… her Funeral is tomorrow and we will be gathered as a family the whole day and night.

Please add the hashtag ‪#‎RIPBernice‬ to ALL of your tweets tomorrow April 8th, if you are so inclined. It would mean the world to me if you would participate.

P.S. My mom was the one in the neighborhood who always was available to drive to and from any activity, and she insisted on taking anyone home who did not have a ride. She worked full-time as an elementary school teacher but always managed to make the time, be there for anything and everything, and show sincere interest.

Because of her example of always being available, I am the one my girls look to whenever they need a ride anywhere, even Philadelphia and Boston to visit camp friends… if I am in town, they can count on me driving

Thank you Mom… for always being there, always being available, and always teaching me the importance of unselfishness.

“The natural state of motherhood is unselfishness. When you become a mother, you are no longer the center of your own universe. You relinquish that position to your children.” ~Jessica Lange

#RonR #NoLetUp #ImHereMom #RIPBernice