A Tribute to My Mom: A Legacy of Love
On August 22, 2024, my incredible Mom, Marguerite Detrick -- best known by her friends and family as "Chick" -- made her transition into her next amazing Spiritual adventure, at the ripe young age of 97! As I reflect on the wonderful life she lived, and the legacy she left behind, I am filled with so many conflicting emotions: a deep sense of loss knowing I will never have her physically here with me again; overwhelming joy in knowing she is experiencing her next spiritual journey, discovering fresh understandings and sharing her gifts in a whole new way; gratitude for the life she gave me; and reflection as I look back and remember her legacy: a Legacy of Love!
Let me start by claiming this Truth:
I hit the lottery when I got this amazing woman for my Mom!
Mom left a huge Legacy -- a Legacy of Love!
- Love of Family and Friends
- Love of Laughter and Joy
- Love of God and her Faith
Love of Family and Friends
You know a family circle is strong when there are stories – and let me tell you: We have stories! In fact, our stories are at a point where, when we’re together, you only need to say one line … and everyone knows the whole story! Other people probably think we’re a little weird (well, we are!) but those stories bind us together across generations … with new generations adding new stories to our repertoire! Mom has been the glue that kept us all together.
I will always cherish Mom’s ability to share her love! She wrapped her heart and arms around Bil and his two boys who I adopted, and brought them right into our family! I knew Bil was totally accepted when we would visit and the first thing she’d do is hand him his “List” of things to do – usually involving building something, planting something, or putting something together! Mom loved lists – and owned more clipboards than you’d find in any Office Supply store!
Our boys loved to visit Grandma and Grampa in New Jersey – To this day, our youngest, Brian (who is in his 50’s now! Yikes!) still remembers Mom always taking him places – and as soon as she started the car, she’d sing “Off we go into the wild blue yonder!” And Mom remembered this too, adding that Brian always immediately said, “Oh, Grandma!” (with the perfect eye roll, of course!) A permanent bond between them. By the way, we still sing that song when we get in the car!
Part of Mom’s legacy of Love of Family & Friends showed up in food! She loved to cook – the old fashioned way … and she was amazing at it! if you ever showed up at her house, you’d be offered something to eat! She even made iced tea and homemade cookies for the workers who came! Family meals were an important value in our home – from my earliest memories as a child right up to the very last visit we had in June, before she went into the hospital. Mealtime was the time we all sat together and shared our stories as we ate together! And I’ll tell you, if anyone ever left Mom’s house hungry, it was their own fault!
Mom taught me so many life lessons that have served me well: When you’re traveling, never miss an opportunity to go to the restroom!; always send thank-you notes; never return a dish empty; live with an Optimistic Spirit; treat everyone with respect; make eye contact when you talk to people; be a giver; if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all; have faith that you can do what you need to do, no matter what; you are braver than you know!
Most people think of my mom as somewhat quiet, really caring, and filled with love. But a lot of people don’t realize that she was also REALLY brave! One example: Back in 1969, my dad and mom led a tour group to the Holy Land (the first of many tours they led) so they could ensure my brother and I had the opportunity to experience it. It was a 3-week tour, and near the end of the second week, my appendix ruptured and I was rushed to a hospital in Rome. Of course, with Dad being the tour guide, the tour group had to continue, but my mom stayed behind with me. Looking back, I can only imagine how terrifying it must have been for her, being alone in a strange city where she did not speak the language, with a daughter in the hospital having serious surgery. But never once did I feel afraid. She was braver than I could have ever understood then! She told the story of them rushing into the hospital lobby, running to the reception desk and asking, “Does anyone speak English?” and the nurse said, “I’m from Iowa!” She saw this as a sign that God was fully present, and she knew at that moment we would be taken care of every step of the way!
We’ll never fully know all the things my Mom did without, so that we could have the things we wanted … and we always felt the love, no matter what. Even when she didn’t agree with our choices, she never held back on love! She definitely leaves a Legacy of Love of Family & Friends.
Love of Laughter and Joy!
Mom loved to have fun! So many stories of sharing joy and laughter! One that stands out is how she and I shared an unexplainable love for the song, the Teddy Bear picnic! We’ve been known to suddenly break out into the song, to everyone else’s dismay and our delight, singing it with gusto and animation! On Mom’s 80th birthday, my brother and our dear family friend Sharon brought Mom to our home in North Carolina, where we threw her a surprise “Teddy Bear Picnic” birthday party! A memory forever etched into my heart and mind!
Mom collected quotes – many inspirational, but many just plain funny! One of my sweetest memories is how, whenever we talked on the phone on our many “check-in” calls, Mom would always end the call with quotes! And she loved laughing – she could even laugh at herself! But she could also get back at you! I recall on our trip to Hawaii, at a nice group dinner in a fancy restaurant with a band playing, Bil had the band sing Happy Birthday to my mom – which would have been sweet, except ... it wasn’t her birthday! She took it really well – but the next day we were touring a site that featured a very low doorway requiring a person to crawl through – and Mom, the consummate photographer, got Bil to crawl through it so she could take a picture of him … She then said it was her proof of Bil crawling on his knees for forgiveness! Much laughter all around!
After my Dad passed away in 1994, Bil and I had the joy of taking our mothers on what we dubbed "Our Mothers-In-Law Vacations." So many fun memories of our trips to Niagara Falls (both sides, of course!); Puerto Rico and a Caribbean Cruise; Greenbrier (a place we discovered Mom always wanted to go!); Washington DC and Baltimore Harbor; Philadelphia and NJ shore, including Cowtown Rodeo ... to name a few!
Love of God and her Faith!
She never wavered!
Mom knew what she believed, and she stood strong in that faith. And she felt a calling to share that faith through her amazing monologues and in teaching her Adult Sunday School Class. Believe me, she really put a huge amount of time and effort into creating meaningful classes. I saw her stay up till the wee hours putting the finishing touches on the materials she planned to share – and rising at O-Dark-Thirty on Sunday morning to be sure she would be ready to go, arriving early so she could be sure the room was set up to go. The church threw her an incredible 90th Birthday party, with church members, family, and friends from far and wide celebrating her awesomeness!
Mom called on her faith these past few years as she dealt with the pandemic that changed her lifestyle, and then, more recently the illness that finally took her. She was surrounded by Bible verses, and used the power of prayer to sustain her and keep her going. And I am eternally grateful for my amazing brother, Brian, who lived with and cared for her so she could continue to live at home, in the house my Grandfather built the year she was born! She was a strong lady, and knew the source of her strength.
What a powerful legacy of Love she leaves behind. As you think of my mom (whether you knew her personally or not), you can honor her best by doing an act of loving kindness, an act of forgiveness, an act of generosity! Because that’s who Mom was – with family, with friends, with people she just met, and with people she did not even know! To meet my mom was to experience a shining light of unconditional love and an amazing generous spirit! She thanked every nurse, aide, and doctor who worked with her – even the men who transported her to Seacrest. They all sensed something about her that led them to treat her with a special kindness and care that she deserved.
So Mom – Life well lived! You have now unzipped your human garment, and are soaring off on your next Spiritual Adventure! We know there is a huge party going on right now – and wow! Can you imagine the stories being shared?! We can literally sing, “Off YOU go into the wild blue yonder …” knowing there is absolutely no separation or geography in Spirit! Even as you soar, you are always with us – right here, in our hearts.
Here's the Pictorial Tribute, with these and lots of other photos celebrating my Mom, from childhood till her last days, when she finally soared into a rare and beautiful Super Blue Moon, on August 22, 2024. We will miss you, Mom! I love you more than words can say!
