The email I sent to the Rabbi as a follow up to our conversation before the funeral

Dear Rabbi Krakoff

I wanted to write you to tell you more about my mom. I sent the email but I am afraid you did not get it and I did not save this in a word document. So I will start over. I know that I am leaving stuff out. I could go on forever.


First, please check out the following blogs.

mamashirl1.blogspot.com - My last two entries especially


lubellfamily.blogspot.com - Larry (my husband) wrote and excellent article from his perspective


She was my best friend

My mom was so much fun. We would stay up late together. Often before holidays or events and bake together, talk and laugh. No matter what it was, the first person I wanted to call was always my mom. Wether is was a new job, a boyfriend, whatever, my mom was always my most trusted confidant. She was also the only one I could shop with. Everyone would get too frustrated, as I would take 100 things into the dressing room and come out with nothing. In fact, when I got married, my mom, made sure I had a wonderful wardrobe for all of the showers and parties. She patiently shopped with me for that and for even when I got my first job. She proudly told her friends, my daughter wears a suit to work everyday.

My mom was very proud of us.

Speaking of being proud. No one was prouder of me than my mom. She always included me for luncheons, sisterhood events and even took me to convention with her one year. Mandel bread and all. When I was younger, my mom was the proud stage mom taking me to dance class 3-5 days a week. She put on all my makeup before recitals and I was a pain when it came to the eye makeup. I am sure that was not fun for her. Nonetheless, she was by my side for every performance. Even when I tore my opera hose in the middle of the performance.

She was my biggest fan. No matter what. And when it came to singing, she made sure I had a great voice teacher and she used to say "you gotta sing, so someone will hear you." In a lot of ways, she had more confidence in me than I had in myself. She loved when I sang at our family parties, at weddings and even at local piano bars. I loved to sing for her. It gave her so much pleasure.


She was very involved in my life and knew all of my friends and they knew here
My mom knew all my friends in high school, in college and beyond until I moved to Chicago.

In high school, my friends were a part of our family and my parents would ask me if my enterage would be joining us. I loved being with my family so I had the best of both worlds.

In college, my mom got to know many of my friends very well. In fact, my favorite marketing study group (Katie, Chris and Debra) spent many a weekends at our house. My mom cooked for us, waited on us and hung out with us. She loved just having everyone over. It was a lot of fun. My mom always knew my boyfriends too. And when I had a party, she put a spread like no one else along with the Keg. We would play and sing all night and once my mom and dad even played quarters with us.

When I got my first job in advertising, my mom quickly became part of the team. She cooked for client lunches, baked cookies for holiday presents and came to all of our events with a big smile on her face. She became good friends with my boss at the time and again I was lucky to have my family be a part of my work life, She was also very proud of my work. She loved coming to Beach Boys concerts especially.

When I moved to Chicago, my mom was not able to get to know my friends very well. But after meeting Lisbeth (affectionately call Lizzie), she quickly got to know her parents who live here and Lizzie. Same with Julie, who I met in after college, in a Shaarey Zedek, jewish singles collaboration. Julie quickly became like a sister to and always called my mom and dad - "Mom and Pops" I was always sad that my mom did not know my Chicago friends, but when she came to visit, she did get to meet some of them. I know it was not the same though.

I could always count on her and she always had my back

No matter what, my mom always supported me. Besides, driving me to school when I was late (even when her car broke down and she was in her night gown and had to come in to the school to call a tow truck). If I needed something, she always made sure, I got it. And she even acted as a buffer with my Dad a lot. My mom knew everything. I told her everything. And that made us closer.

She always told me what she thought
Wether it was the color or style of my hair, my weight, my outfit. My mom always told me what she thought. And I am thankful for that and practice the same philosophy with my own son.