[Faith-talk] Peter's Mother

[Linda Mentink]

Hi Peter,

I'm so sorry to hear this, and hope she's in heaven, not across some 
rainbow bridge.  I'll be praying for you all during this holiday 
season.  It will be hard to be thankful, but you have a lot of good 
memories of her love and support.  Thanks for sharing some of them with us.

Blessings,

Linda

At 09:39 PM 11/25/2009, you wrote:
>         Good evening everyone,
>
>     This year's Holiday Season will be filled with sorrow and joy. For those
>receiving this news for the first time my mother was rushed to Northeast
>Methodist Hospital in San Antonio and was later transferred to Main
>Methodist to receive treatment from a neuro surgeon. Yesterday morning she
>was found slumped in her chair bleeding from the nose and mouth. She is
>believed to have suffered a major stroke  and was placed in ICU upon arrival
>at Main Methodist. She never regained consciousness and was placed on life
>support where she remained until this afternoon. Her condition worsened
>during the night. The doctor offered to perform surgery but could not
>guarantee a deasent quality of life following the operation. With heavy
>hearts we decided to end life support. She crossed the rainbow bridge at
>about 1-15 p.m. following termination of life support. She died without
>regaining consciousness and is now in a better place.
>
>     We're all sad and shocked with her passing. She exercised and took long
>walks to keep in shape and always insisted on eating right. She died at age
>73. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
>
>     Mom was a fighter particularly when it came to my education. Like many
>parents of blind children during the 1960s and 1970s she was roped in to
>believing that the so-called "Experts" with the Department of Education in
>Massachusetts had all the answers when it came to teaching blind kids and
>where they should attend school. All of that changed when she visited the
>Oak Hill School for the Blind in Connecticut for a concert I would be
>participating in in 1972. The things she observed during her visit along
>with concerns about my well-being at the time prompted her in to action.
>Thus began what my family called the "1973 Uprising!" The environment at Oak
>Hill and transportation issues lead to a campaign to have me transferred to
>the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown Massachusetts if not in to
>public high school. When the battle was over I attended Perkins for the
>remainder of my high school years and graduated in 1975. To the best of our
>knowledge this was the first time the parent of a blind child in
>Massachusetts issued a serious challenge to the dogma of special education
>officials at that time.
>
>     To set the record straight this happened prior to my involvement in the
>National Federation of the Blind. Although we did not know the organization
>by name we had its spirit which subsequently allowed myself and many other
>blind individuals to have a quality of life we would not have otherwise.
>Had the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children been around I
>believe mom would have eventually rose to top leadership in that
>organization and would have been one of its staunchest members.
>
>     Mom has assisted several other disabled individuals over the years most
>recently my adopted niece who has Down's Syndrome. Although they could only
>progress to a certain level she expected them to achieve a degree of
>independence and self-sufficiency. I am one example of her persistence and
>her "Pushing" me to attempt to do the assumingly impossible.
>     It will be different tomorrow not hearing her in the kitchen cooking
>Thanksgiving Dinner and bossing us around in her demanding and sometimes
>humorous way.
>
>     Our Thanksgiving feast will be dedicated to her memory. We're not sure
>about funeral services yet. She has requested that her body be cremated
>following the funeral.
>
>     Mary and I along with the rest of my family greatly appreciate everyone
>keeping us in your prayers and thoughts during this Holiday Season. Mom's
>death was sudden and unexpected. We will miss her but we know she crossed
>the rainbow bridge and is now among the wranks of family members who
>preceded her. Again thanks for keeping us in your prayers and thoughts. All
>the best for a wonderful Thanksgiving.
>
>Peter Donahue
>
>
>
>"Will you come and awake our lost land from its slumber
>       And her fetters we'll break, links that long are encumbered.
>       And the air will resound with hosannas to greet you
>       On the shore will be found gallant Irishmen to greet you."
>Will You Come to the Bower
>Traditional Irish Folk Song
>
>
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