Fred, I'm glad the funeral went well.

A couple of days ago my Hubby and I made a long trip there and back in one day to see his Mum who has had worsening dementia for the last few years and it looks like she is nearing the end. We expect to make the trip again soon for her funeral.

My Mum passed just over 20 years ago and my Dad passed 15 years ago. I miss them both but some of my best memories are from the 9 am phone calls every Sunday morning after I left home. We would talk for at least an hour about all sorts of things. Mum was the communicator, a genuinely loving and caring person with a lot of empathy and compassion, and a deep understanding of people and their situations. Dad was a bit more shy, but when Mum passed I phoned him. His first comment was that he really didn't know if I would phone him and the first couple of conversations were fairly short but over time we started to really talk about the things which mattered to us.

Those conversations, more than the chatter at family gatherings, helped us to really get to know each other as adults. They are my best memories of both of them. My sister and her family lived in the same suburb as them and she would visit them with her husband and children but I often would say something that I had learned in the phone conversations which my Sis knew nothing about.

Cherish the memories, the good times as well as the not so good. Families are the foundation of our lives.