It has been a year

Time does fly.

I can’t believe it has been one year since the passing of my wife’s mother.

Early on the morning of June 1, 2023 in West Hartford, Connecticut, Liz checked out.

She told that demon cancer where to go.

Liz had too much dignity and grace to really give that evil intruder a good cussing out.

Her family knew this day was coming.

The last few days before June 1 had been tough.

Knowing that you are losing a loved one wears a family down. Her living children experienced this as did the grandchildren who were able to make final visits.

In that year, much has happened.

This old world has become more troubled.

Despite the restless world, in July, thirty plus family members gathered in Falmouth on Cape Cod in Massachusetts to celebrate Liz and her husband, Ken.

Liz and Ken were responsible for introducing us to the Cape. I don’t think the memories created there will ever leave us.

On a beautiful Cape morning, we gathered in Patuisset on a favorite beach to share our love of Liz. Some of her ashes were scattered into the tranquil brine with Bassetts Island as a backdrop.

Then in September, the family had a beautiful celebration of Liz’s life at St. James Episcopal Church in West Hartford, Connecticut.

And as dismal as the world can be some days, there was a special arrival in February. Another great grandchild arrived in San Fransisco. Liz would have loved Ashley and Rob’s new daughter, Bridgette.

I can see Liz carefully studying Bridgette’s beauty. I can hear her sharing Bridgette’s arrival with her friends. I’m sure Liz did this humble bragging in the wild blue yonder with her angel friends too.

With patient perseverance, Betsy, Abby, and Ken have worked to meet the requirements of Connecticut laws, bankers, and lawyers to officially close out the paperwork of Liz’s life.

Earlier in May, Abby flew from California to Richmond for the purpose to sort out framed pictures, photographs, and other family artifacts. One morning, Abby, Betsy, and Ken gathered at our kitchen table sorting through stacks of the snapshots of life.

We’ve continued to live out our lives.

We keep in touch, and I suspect, we all have our Liz moments.

We’ve missed her elegant touch, family stories, and her robust, contagious laugh that always turned to tears at the dinner table for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.

On a desk in our kitchen is a digital picture frame.

Some days, Liz will appear in the magic of that technology.

Her smiling face is present. She is surrounded by the family who loved and respected her.

I stumbled upon this quote from James Gates Percival: “There are moments in life that we never forget, which brighten and brighten as time steals away.”

Elizabeth Crosby Cloud was more than a moment in our lives. But our memories of her will only continue to ‘brighten and brighten as time steals away.’