Sunday, November 08, 2009

My Farewell to "The Princess"

This post is in a somewhat somber tone.

My mother-in-law has been in the I.C.U.
in Memphis, TN for 6 weeks.
She's been fighting for her life,
but it seems that she can no longer fight.
My husband has been there with her all week
trying to bring her back to health
with kind words, reminders of fond memories,
and his AMAZING LOVE.



I met Dianne Douglass (known as De-Dee to her grandchildren)
a little over 6 years ago.
My first impression of her was that
she was dressed so nicely
 and that she had an amazing ability to accessorize.
The first thing I ever said to her was
 "Ooohhh...I love your shoes!"
We hit if off immediately,
and she later became not only a second mother to me,
but also a friend.

She always said she was a Princess...
and she was...always will be.

Her favorite color is pink.
When I met her I despised the color pink
(I know...crazy right?)
Next thing I knew...I loved pink...still do.
She bought my daughter the most comfortable
pink chenille rocking chair
when I was pregnant.
We sit in it every night to read our bedtime stories.

She visited us here in Colorado
about a month after we moved in.
We had so much fun that week going Christmas shopping
and attending local Christmas festivities
such as the lighting of the tree on Main Street, etc.
We even took a carriage ride through the snowy streets
as I joked with her
about flirting
with the "cowboy" that was driving us.



She is a very giving woman,
very funny, very stubborn,
but very FUN to be around.
She has a great sense of humor and a great sense of style.
She has matching shoes and accessories
for every outfit and then some.
She loves music, especially Motown,
and she loves to dance.
She used to always come out to hear me sing with my band and
would drag my husband out on the dance floor.

One year I mentioned liking Snowmen.
The next thing I knew she had bought the stores out of
every snowman dish and accessory that she could get her hands on!
If she thought you liked something,
she'd make sure you got it
and would almost always go overboard with it!



She is only 59.
Everything is so surreal right now.
My husband and his brother have reached the difficult decision
to take her off of everything that's keeping her alive.
They are going to "make her comfortable"
and let God take over.
I love her so much and will miss her beyond reason.

I am saddened that my daughter
will probably not remember her,
but I'll be sure to keep her in our home
through stories, photos, and tons of memories.

I know that loss is just a part of life,
but it doesn't make it any easier to know that.
 Please keep our family in your prayers.
We are really trying to cope the best way that we can
and our faith and each other is all we have right now.

We love you De-Dee and we know we'll see you again someday,
surrounded by the color pink,
with your tiara, your matching shoes,
and your magic wand - spreading joy to everyone around...
  just as we remember you.



Update:
Dianne joined the rest of the angels in heaven this evening.
Thank you for your prayers.






10 comments:

  1. Oh this post made me cry. As someone who lost her mother at age 5 I never cease to get a pang in my heart when I hear of someone else's loss.

    May your precious memories comfort you.

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  2. My prayers are with your whole family, i just lost my grandmother last Thursday.Sending you hugs and will pray for your family,
    xo,
    LuLu

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  3. destiny, i am so sorry to hear of your loss. thank you for sharing your stories with us and for telling me about her when we met in the store the other day. you and your family are in my thoughts. it is clear that your memories of her, your princess, will keep you in comfort. HUGE hugs, rachel

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  4. Hi Destiny,
    I'm so sorry for your loss. It sounds like she was such a lovely woman. I will keep you and your family in my prayers.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Destiny,
    I am so sorry. She was so young. How is your husband doing? You were so blessed to have a MIL that loved and adored you!!! You wrote such a beautiful tribute to her.

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  6. i too am so sorry for your loss. De-Dee sounded like a wonderful friend, mother, MIL and grandma.

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  7. I am so sorry for your loss. She sounded like a spectacular person. How lucky you were to have her in your life. Hugs and prayers are being sent to you and your family.
    ~Debra The Capers of the Vintage Vixens

    ReplyDelete
  8. That was very sweet, Destiny, a nice collection of memories that I know you'll share with Bailey as she's old enough to understand.

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  9. So sorry for your familys loss. I just stumbled upon your blog. You were so fortunate to have had such a loving Mother In law. May you comfort each other during this sad time.

    ReplyDelete
  10. She sounds like such a beautiful lady...a true Princess! I'm so sorry that your family lost her at such an early age...59 is so young. I hope your daughter will be able to remember her...be sure to display lots and lots of photos. My MIL died 6 weeks after our wedding...so my daughters never knew her...I have always displayed lots of photos of her in our home. She left lots of beautiful antiques to us and I treasure every single one of them...I have them all over our home...I hope by using her things has helped our daughters know her in them...she was a very formal lady. I'm so sorry for your loss and I will keep you and your family in my prayers. I found you by way of WHITE WEDNESDAY.

    Blessings,
    Linda

    ReplyDelete

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