Jacqueline M. Ruffino-Platt
Happy Birthday to my mother-in-law Helen. On Aug. 30 she would have been 107 years young. Someone I am pleased to have met and became a member of her family.
She made me feel welcome and loved the very first time John brought me home to meet his family. We shared many stories while John was off playing golf and his dad was tinkering in his garage or basement. We laughed together when we each told our own private stories. Helen was quick, smart, and very kind. She was a complete package, you may say.
When John and I moved to Arizona, the driving distance from here to Colorado was closer, and we chose to spend one of the holidays with his parents and his family, Thanksgiving or Christmas.
On Mother’s Day, 2004, Mom and Dad drove out here to our new home in Chandler, Ariz., to visit with us. It was so much fun. No-maintenance kind of folks. Never asked for anything. Pleasure to be around all the time.
Before they left to go back to Colorado, Mom handed me a gift for my and John’s upcoming wedding—handmade linen towels, antique handkerchiefs, with one being blue. Something old and something new, something borrowed and something blue.
In the year 2005, John and I decided to visit his folks for Christmas. The morning of Dec. 7, 2005, we called to give Mom and Dad the good news about our visit. They were delighted, and she was so happy to spend our Christmas together. The time of our conversation was 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 7. Mom passed away, I believe, the same day.
John and I have a tradition, which is every birthday, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day, we pay tribute to our parents by placing a bouquet of flowers on our dining room table with their photo and a special card. Their cemetery plots are far, and we cannot visit often. Therefore, we choose to continue every year with flowers, photos, and cards to honor our beloved parents. Sometimes I even bake a cake.
Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you and miss you.