Saturday very early in the morning, I lost my mom. She had gone in for emergency surgery for a brain aneurism that bled on December 17^th.  Since then we have been on a roller coaster. She survived the surgery but later developed complications that she just could not over come. I am still in shock that she is gone.

I wish you all could have known her. She was not only a wonderful mother but also a true inspiration and friend to many. It is because of her that I am able to live a prudent lifestyle. She believed that volunteers formed the fabric of a community and helped to set up a volunteer bureau in my hometown of Guilford, CT.

Her proudest accomplishments included the work she did to preserve land in Connecticut. She organized the formation and incorporation of Guilford Recycling, twelve years before recycling became mandated by the state. Funds earned from the sale of the communities’ donated glass and aluminum were then donated to the Guilford Land Conservation Trust (GLCT) for open space acquisition.

From 1984-96 she worked for The Nature Conservancy as Director of the Land Protection and as Director of the Land Trust Service Bureau. My mother was responsible for securing protected status for over 7,000 acres in CT.

I grew up recycling and composting and learning to live on less and leave less waste. I spent many hours walking the woods with my mom  learning about trees and birds and taking care of the land around us.

Earlier this year she came to visit and immediately she was in her gardening clothes to help me in my large vegetable garden.

I have shared several of her recipes on my blog including her famous granola.

She was 82 years old but a very young 82. She was active until the day she went into the hospital working to organize gardens in the retirement community she moved into last year. The world is a little less bright today because of her loss, but I will strive to carry on all that she taught me. She will be greatly missed by many.

 The tide recedes but leaves behind
Bright seashells on the sand;
The sun goes down but gentle warmth
Still lingers on the land;
The music stops, and yet,
It echoes on in sweet refrains.
For every joy that passes
Something beautiful remains.

Linked to: WildcraftingWednesday, TuesdayWithATwist, AdornedFromAbove, KatherinesCorner, BrambleberryCottage, Saving4Six