The Most Important Thing
For mum, family was - without a doubt - the most important thing in her life. She devoted herself to us and to our well-being. The sacrifices were many, the rewards, we hope, made it all worth it. Her career choice was that of a homemaker, and she ran our home, she made our home, with a vigor and efficiency that no CEO could ever match.
Before the sun would even get a chance to rise, there was a freshly brewed pot of tea, milk poured on cereal and juice in glasses all ready to go. Lunches, too, were packed and ready for school or work. You were always prepared to go out and conquer the world - she made sure of it.
When you came home from school, you'd be treated to the fresh-baked goods of the day and later an expertly cooked dinner.
She would call her own mum every day to see how things were going. Our dad would call home from work at lunch every day just to say hello and to figure out what was on the schedule. She always knew what was going on with everyone, and if she didn't, she'd make sure to ask about it until she did!
No matter how hard a day you had, she was always there for you to be supportive and tell you a joke to make you feel better. She was always available to help out with school projects, to proofread a paper, to help study for a big test, or to memorize multiplication tables. Her sense of humour would show through when her children would try to impress by showing her some new skill or technique. Her unfailing response would be, “That’s great, but remember I taught you how to use a spoon!”
Despite living far away, "Nana" loved her granddaughter Natalie and Natalie loved Nana right back. When they were together on visits or vacation, they were thick as thieves. Natalie would always make sure she sat next to Nana whenever possible. Natalie paid extra attention to making her hand-made cards for Nana, adding colors and glitter that nobody else got.
Gwen made her family everything that they are, and they will all be forever grateful for how lucky they were to have her in their lives.
