✞ Rest in Peace Mom ✞
Rest in peace to my mom, who passed away February 20th. Originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, if life is a three-act story, she shaped the entire first act and wrote herself into every scene since. She was a naturally intelligent, creative, and empathetic mom.
Her main instrument was the piano, followed closely by the flute, then guitar, bass, and percussive instruments.She could read and write music for both treble and bass clef. She had music in her veins. I remember every holiday season being treated to Mom playing Vince Guaraldi on the piano next to our Christmas tree in chilly Iowa. Peanuts played. I'll never forget staying up late and watching the TBS Christmas Star Wars Special, or her bringing home a projector from work so we could watch Jurassic Park on the "big" screen (the basement wall). Hopefully the statue of limitations has passed on that…
She could put pen to paper and pen to canvas with the best of them. I dreaded showing my mom my English papers because she would grade with more red ink than my teachers, but it helped me to think critically and articulate better. In the '90s I remember spending time with her in her office as she would do frontier-level at-home publishing on our home Mac. Or her sitting at the keyboard with a MIDI interface... watching the ideas from her fingers translate from the keys to the screen. She was always at the forefront of technology.
As a kid I was treated to the homemade southern delights that her mother made for her in Arkansas. She only had one child, but she treated my friends like her own kids—with open arms, providing a safe space and home cooked meals. Essentially from baby through high school, as a single mom, her sacrifice was for me. It's an unshakeable, boundless love and enthusiasm for her son that allowed me to be who I am as a person today.
It makes me both happy and sad; unquestionably, she deserved better. I feel like I'm too young to not have a mom... but I know I'm not alone. I will miss her enthusiastic voice when I spoke with her, her advice, and her love. The world is lonelier today, and I've never felt more like an "adult" until now.
I look forward to the 2nd half of this life on Earth and the next with my Mom. May you rest in peace, Mom.
—Nick
