Peace, Pam, to you and your beautiful family.

Pam, thanks for writing. We’re very fond of your sister here. To echo watertiger, peace to you and yours.

thank you so much for sharing with us Pam, god speed to you and yours

Thanks for this. God(dess) bless your family.

Thanks, Pam, for sharing this with us. We really all do have Greta in our hearts right now, and it’s wonderful that you’d take the time to acknowldedge that.

Blessings and peace on you all.

A great life lived leaves a reflection on all who follow.

Karma is Karma, peace to all.

Pam:

You may think you’re “not half the writer Jane is” and it doesn’t matter. You have the hearts and minds of many strangers open to you. They all support you, and that’s all that matters.

I hope that everyone’s good thoughts can ease your pain.

My husband lost both his parents at once and grieved for a long time. Our best friend was recently killed and we’re still grieving. No one can tell when sorrow can come upon us… and we all must go on.

I hope you find peace in all the comments.

Pam, you weren’t rambling at all. It was a real pleasure to read your words about a wonderful, funny and strong woman, and I thank you for them.

I knew of your mom years ago through Jane’s book, and to read your words only reinforces my opinion of someone whom I’d never met, but still felt respect for. Thank you for sharing your memories of her with us.

Bob

Pam, that was lovely. So sorry for the loss for your whole family. And thank you for lending us Jane. Hugs to all of you from all of us. (Hope I get to meet you one of these days — we can swap Wallace and Gromit stories…)

Thanks Pam. We all wish you and your family the best in this time of troubles.

Nice shirt, Pam.

Pamela,

The woman you describe will be giving it to the other angels for having been so beautifully memorialized by her children

good to hear this community’s warm embrace reached your family’s hearts

will continue to send prayers of strength and comfort your way

maybe down the road, time and circumstance will allow you to check back in with this incredible ‘hey, let’s do this !’ thing

The picture of your mom reminds me of my mother so many years ago, with her black hair and all. Where does the time go? As an Oklahoman, as perhaps are you, I am particularly saddened by the loss of “one of our own”.

Pam, surely your mom is enchanting the angels.

-S

Continued prayers and much love to all of you.

Thanks so much to everyone. I had coffee with Oilfieldguy today, the time in Tulsa has been nice. He’s been doing lots of GOTV stuff that provided very interesting food for thought for the Roots project.

I’m going to be making my way up to Connecticut soon from Oklahoma, so if anyone wants Coffee with Kobe on the way, I’m buying.

Hospice is a true blessing, to both the dying and the living. A wise, wise suggestion, Pam.

Peace, to you, your husband, your kids, and the rest of your amazing extended family.

Jane and Christy always remind me of the Margaret Mead quote, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

I’m sure that Greta was an amazing woman to have raised 2 wonderful daughters. (You write beautifully and your own kind heart comes shining through your words.)

Wishing your entire family love and strength at this time.

Pam: Thanks for sharing a precious bit of your family history. Re Greta’s pic, I see a lot of intelligence and compassion, an unbeatable combination.

Jane:

You planning on being up in the northwest soon? I’ve got a few things to send you, don;t want them going to an empty house.

Blessed Be to all of your family. Pam your sharing has brought to mind my mother’s closing chapter and helped me deal a little more with her being gone. Love to all…

Dear Pam,

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us tonight. It’s an honor to make your aquaintance.

What an interesting phenomenon this community is. We are your sister’s cyber-tribe. We’re fierce and noisy and funny and sometimes rude, and as diverse as a ragtag band of misfits can be, but we are united by a love of our country and a belief that people have the power to make this world a better place.

We thank you for everything you have done to help make our Jane the incredible person that she is. We thank your family and we thank the spirit of your mother, who is watching you now and is so, so proud of her beautiful daughters.

Just like we are.

Come by any time.

You are never far from our thoughts and hearts.

Sincerely,
David Ferguson
(aka TRex)

Jane,

“I’m going to be making my way up to Connecticut soon from Oklahoma, so if anyone wants Coffee with Kobe on the way, I’m buying.”

If you’re taking the long route south and then north through Fort Worth, Texas…probably not ; )

Hi Pam!

Pam, words from the heart about the mom you love make for pretty fine writing. Thanks for sharing that with us.

Pamela,

Our hearts are with you. Thanks for stopping in to tell us about your Mom. That’s a great picture.

I was there when I was 14 as my grandfather died. I wrote about it once on this site.

http://www.firedoglake.com/200.....can-dream/

It was a real treasure for your son to know your mother and share these last days with her and all of you around her.

He’ll never forget it.

Pam,
Thanks for including so many strangers in your warmth. It’s easy to forget how big our hearts are–even bigger together. Your generosity reminds us.

Pam and Jane,

Thank you for being who you are and sharing your thoughts with us. You and yours will remain in my prayers. I have to say I’ve found the response by the “firepups” to be very moving.

Pam, thank you for posting that. Three incredible women in one family.

I have found it quite amazing how the humanity of Jane, Christy and so many others here has managed to emerge from the written words on my PC. Your sister and you obviously are apples which did not fall far from the tree and as your dear departed mother has much to have been thankful for in you two girls, you have so much to be thankful in the precious human being she was.

We out here are very thankful for what went into making Jane. She is a gift of enormous magnitude, to us and to this nation, which is soon to discover how she is so deeply needed.

The making of such a magnificent person is the job of an entire family, so we are honored (I sure am) to be witness to her energy, intellect and good sense.

Thanks to you, your mom, your dad for sharing Jane with us. You and this nation will see this gift returned many times over.

Peace be with you…

May you sail through life with fair winds and a following sea.

Jane,

If you’re in NYC, give me a shout!

Coming through Georgia on the way to Connecticuit hardly seems likely, but should you find yourself headed this way, Jane, you know I’d be ecstatic to meet you.

Pam- thank you so much. It was a wonderfully written piece. What is important to me about the writing that I read is whether or not it is written with a true voice. Jane writes with a true voice. You write with a true voice. That makes all the difference.

Cozumel — I think Ft. Worth may be a bit of a detour. The dogs are in open rebellion after their 30 hour forced march from Oregon to Oklahoma, so they are going to be limiting us to a slow 3-400 mile per day. The up side of this, I’ll be able to do the regular afternoon/evening blogging. I’m sure the dogs are also thrilled about that.

Watertiger — would love to see you. Is New York on the way to Connecticut? (I think I better start figuring this out, I’m supposed to leave tomorrow. I bought makeup and bras today so I am well supplied.)

Jane at 6:24 p.m.

You wouldn’t happen to be passing through Topeka would you? If so I would love to have coffee with you. But I imagine you are probably headed up I-44.

Jane,

I don’t know if there is anything I could do for you in the NYC area, but I am at your disposal. All you need to is ask… here in your site or in an email.

Ditch the bra, Jane. Do it Thelma-Louise style.

Oh, and if you end up in DC, I’ll get you a nice meal.

I guess this means no detour through Berkeley…

Pam,

Thinking of you and wishing you peace and love in your time of sorrow.

Jane- I’d say try to avoid I95 for as long as possible. The DC area traffic is terrible. So that’s my 2 cents. Anyone correct me if I am wrong, bec. I’ve only done part of that about 6 times.

Jane,

If you’re coming through NC (which seems doubtful), please look me up. You have lots of friends down here, lots of open doors.

Pamela, all the best to you. Thank you for your kind words.

My aunt recently passed, and my parents enthusiastically spoke of hospice. It’s a wonderful cause, and well worth supporting. My wife volunteers. It’s God’s work.

VG at 41 — No, it pretty much still sucks. Just did it going to and from the Take Back America conference, and it took me an hour and a half into town — and the same amount of time out (from Dupont Circle, mind you, straight out on Connecticut…). Blergh.

Ditch the bra, Jane. Do it Thelma-Louise style.

I just had this image of Jane peeling out in a red convertible, swinging her bra in the air over her head.

Hmm - looks like I’ll be in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania and NYC on my way to Connecticut. Well watertiger get ready, me and the poodles are buying your coffee.

Jane,

“I think Ft. Worth may be a bit of a detour”

No doubt! ; ) I use Yahoo “maps” (driving directions) a bunch, highly recommend. Also, all Hampton Inn’s have WiFi, just FYI.

Jane, if you pass thru Northern Virginia, which is on I-95 en route to Connecticut, we have a guest room and enormous pet house (larger than my first apartment) and would be truly honored to have you stay with us.

Pach has my actual address or I am happy to send it to you by email. Think about it?

Jane Hamsher @ 6:39 pm (#34) - I think the normal thing is to detour around New York City on your way to Connecticut, so it wouldn’t be out of your way. I-80 will take you right there if you’re headed straight east. If you’re coming up from the south, then I-78 and the Jersey Turnpike both go right near NYC.

Pam and Jane and Christy, thanks for taking the time to share so much of yourselves and your families with us. How fortunate you are to have such warm and loving memories. Peace and harmony to you.

Thank you for introducing us to Greta, Pam, and for your kind response to what is heartfelt empathy and sorrow at learning of her death. As you can see, Jane and Christy have created a wonderful living room full of great stories, incredible people and honest emotion that you won’t find anywhere else in the blogosphere. Having you in the rocking chair with your family is just perfect.

As the resident hospice nurse, I want to thank you all, Greta especially, for supporting our work. As you know, many hospices are not-for-profit and memorial contributions are especially meaningful to us. Death is the end of one thing and is just as surely the beginning of something we just don’t yet understand. In your grief, I believe you will find an abiding peace as well.

Blessings to you all.

Tanny/zennurse

So, Jane, are you heading up to CT to be boots on the ground for the Lamont campaign, or are you just going to toilet-paper Joe Lieberman’s house?

Drive carefully, Jane. And tell us about any good bumper stickers that you see.

Zennurse - I so honor the work you do. Actually, it was either Jane’s or Christy’s idea to give to Hospice. I smacked myself on the forehead when Jane told me. I first experienced the phenomenal work of Hospice when my mother’s twin sister (Freda - another strong woman) had cancer 15 years ago in Houston.

Jane, where in CT are you going to land?

Going to see that Bob Adams guy or will you just be staying with Ned and the family?

I suppose I could go to DC and see Pach et. al. via West Virginia. Though I would never inflict the dogs on Christy’s poor white carpet.

Jane — if you’re going through Illinois and Indiana (I-74?) you’ll hit Ohio afore Pennsylvania. You will be passing through Indianapolis so if there’s anything I can do …

Christy,

You have a three year old and white carpet? Wow!

Beautiful words indeed, and so meaningful to anyone who has lost a parent.

My condolences to you and yours.

It’s the Jane-a-palooza Tour - Summer of 2006. Book your dates now.

Jane,

Depending on your route - and your final destination in CT - you can pass through NYC.

Once you’ve figure out how you want to get there, let me know.

Pam, and Jane, our thoughts are with you.

Such a good thing for us all to honor your mother and remember our own. Thank you.

Jane - as you plan your trip you may pass near here in north east Pa. Depends on where in Ct you are going. If you would like a place to let your dogs out in a well fenced yard, I live not far off 80 about 90 miles from NYC. I’m off to a dog show next Wed but will be back on Sunday and you and your crew would be very welcome.

Jane- AAA may be un-PC in some ways but if you have membership, their maps and guidebooks are great- especially for finding lodging late in the day. However, if you have found a hotel chain that likes the doggies, has good internet access, that’s another way to chart the course. Or maybe you have figured this out. And avoid the underwires. Painful.

Vienna VA conveniently located between Redd and Pach…Open door for your and your little ones…Redd and Pach et al are welcome to come on over for dinner. Party!

lisadawn at 57 — it wasn’t intentional. We had our baby girl, and then found the house of our dreams…which happened to come with lovely, berber, off-white carpet. I do a lot of steam cleaning…

Thank you, Pam, but the truth is we get just as much if not more from our work as our patients and families do. I saw and 86 year old couple today who knew each other as kids when he was stationed in Boston. They went dancing twice a week until he got transferred. They each married other people and raised families, then their respective spouses died. He called her up after 50 years and they were married for 15 years with never a harsh word spoken. He died today at 3 and it was such an honor to be with that family, surrounded by all that love, I can’t describe it.

And they pay me for this…..

Christy - Try raising TWO BOYS on an off-white carpet…heeheehee.

Pade @ 6:53 pm (#62) - Sounds like you live near Scranton. Or are you south of I-80?

zen that love story makes me cry…thank you.

Pam at 67 — no thanks — I’m already surviving a three year old, a cat with a hairball problem (even with special food), a fiesty dachshund, a German exchange student and a husband. If I had to add in two boys, I think I’d just give up and pull up the carpet. *g*

Cujo@6:55 I’m south of Blakeslee down 115. Are you near?

zennurse,

beauty inside and out.

My partner and I are also, it must be told, big Wallace and Grommit fans.

We occasionally do that little shaking of the clenched hands that Wallace does. If you’ve seen the shorts or the movie, you know what I mean.

Jane, where in the hell does one find lodging for 3 standard poodles on the road? Seems like a daunting prospect to me.

Christy at 6:57

I bet that German exchange student is really hard on the white carpet…

Hi Pam,

The photo is lovely as is your post. Warmest thoughts to your whole family. And thank you for sharing so much.

Pade @ 6:57 pm (#117) - No, I grew up in the Lehigh Valley (Easton and Nazareth). I visit there every once in a while, so I still remember most of the roads. I’ve been up near Blakeslee once or twice. Nice area, and still pretty rural and/or unsettled where I was.

Speaking of bumper stickers… FDL needs one and a T shirt and cap too!

you’re welcome, egregious.

I have to sleep now, zennursing tomorrow, early appt far away. I’ll check back tomorrow to see where Jane’s going in CT, might be within driving distance just to have a sighting or a little visit….

Kathryn, the photos are great, my Matt o. makes him look like a criminal; my son even said “He looks really mean!” and he’s such a sweetie!
(Hi, Mark—er, Matt!)

BTW, Christy isn’t the only one who is a little punchy…the threads today were tres amusing, you are all a little nuts! I am hating missing these saturday morning hangouts over coffee, I vote that once a month we do it on a weekday, just for mmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeee. I never get to do Book club either, waaaaaaaaahhhhhh.

night-night, sleep tight.
You guys are great

neurophius @ 6:59 pm (#75) - All that beer and sauerkraut. Must be awful.

DefJef — we have the t-shirts:

http://www.cafepress.com/firedoglake

Oh, wt, takes one to know one!!

;-) xxoo

Pam,

Thank you very much for sharing your story. I think you are a great writer and I am glad that you posted it here. Your mother sounded like an amazing woman. As for Hospice, yes it is a great program. After my father died, my mother joined Hospice and still today works with them.

Jane, Drive safe, watch out for the speed limits in those small towns. Sure hope to meet you when you come to Connecticut.

neurophius @ 75 - my husband and I got a good laugh on that one.

dogeatdogi @ 76 - the last couple of days I’ve teared up looking at that photo -

what was really funny yesterday was that Jane and I were looking through photos - and my mother was a twin. We were asking each other “Is this Freda or Mom ?” every 5 minutes.

last one, I swear.

I’ve wanted bumper stickers since the FDL store opened.

wwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh.

(ok, I’m done)

zennurse at 79 — for you, we’ll work something out, honey.

Cujo@7:00 I’m not too far from Route 33. I go past Nazareth and Easton all the time. I’m west just off 209. A great place to live with 9 dogs or so.

requiescat in pace

(((((((((((((((((((Christy)))))))))))))))))))))

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

and Christy,

***waving to you***

What a gentle, kind spirit that photograph captures.

Your parents sound like a beautiful team, Pam. I’m sure their daughters made them proud as punch.

Thank you for sharing your family with us. I feel honored. There aren’t too many people who can match Jane’s ability to put words together so that they slice and dice and highlight like a swift and light dagger flashing in the sun. Your words are a loving tribute to a loving woman.

Pam, thank you so much, again. I hope you don’t mind a bit of frivolity here. That’s part of what makes FDL such a great place.

op99,

“Jane, where in the hell does one find lodging for 3 standard poodles on the road? Seems like a daunting prospect to me.”

There are hotels that are pet friendly but if it was me, I would employ one of the following…

1) Sneak them in.

2) Slip the hotel manager a $20.

But that’s me ; )

op99 — Holiday Inns and Comfort Inns both usually allow pets and have wifi, the sine qua non of poodle travel.

Valley Girl @ 92 - My mother lived with my family…she thrived on frivolity. ;)

Hugs to Pam and Jane, and all the rest of you guys.

Pam, okay then. Will you please pass on some advice to Jane, if you happen to talk to her? She said something earlier about buying bras. Jane, don’t get the ones with underwires. They bite back. And, if you need panties, make sure you don’t get the ones with the days of the week written on them. TRex has alluded to the horrors of that. If you know what I mean.

Pam — Thank you so much for writing us. I think many of us re-experienceed similar times in our own lives as we left condolences for Jane and her family. Just as your your time with your mother before her death deepened the bonds in your family, so our shared sorrow deepened the bonds in the FDL community. At least, so it felt to me. Oh, and in case Jane forgot to warn you, once you’ve participated, you have to come back. Rules are rules, and I hope we hear from you again.

Pam, I enjoyed hearing from you and seeing a picture of your mother. Best wishes to you and all of your family. I am a former Oklahoman, by the way, born and grew up in Oklahoma City.

Pam -

Your writing and story was elegant. Thanks.

I use the word ‘elegant’ not only in the traditional meaning, but as it has been adapted in the ‘computing community.’ As in a pithy solution the hits the desired target in a very compact and effective way. Likely, the ‘best’ of all possible choices. (As opposed to ‘kludge’.) Your mother, her determination, and her wit, shine on in both her girls.

Peace.

What a beautiful spirit she had! Here is a poem that the Hospice nurses gave me: Hold on to what is good, even if it is a handful of Earth. Hold on to what you believe in, even if it is a tree that stands by itself. Hold on to what you must do, even if it is a long way from here. Hold onto life even if it is easier to let go. Hold onto my hand, even when I have gone away. (Pueblo Indian prayer) God Bless.

Pam, I’m doing the math on your mom, and I calculate she was a child of the depression, and graduated high school during WWII. I’ll bet there are some stories there.

op99 @ 101 - oh a boatload of them….and Jane and I can just about recite them by heart.

Pam,

We are so glad you could visit with us this evening. And we are more than willing to do anything to help. I’ll be visiting that link you put up in a minute. Your directions to Panera were right on, and thank you for that.

Jane,

I try to stay at Best Western every chance I get. They nearly always have ethernet.

Blank Kludge @ 7:14 pm (#101) - In engineering “elegant” is high praise. It means the maximum utility for the minimum in construction and upkeep.

Thanks Pam you did your MOM !! PROUD it showed. Your memories are the gold your MOTHER LEFT to us at FDL Thanks for the great post we needed your words from a LOVING HEART

Oh, pets, I just saw that and it sounds like you have it figured out,

Pam, my mom was the same era, and I just loved hearing about those days, and what it was like to have FDR, Stalin, Hitler, etc. in the newspapers instead of the history books.

She’s got new legs to keep up with her daughters.

Blank Kludge @ 99 - I thank thee; I am a computer engineer.

We miss Greta, too.

But there’ll be lots of cheese in Heaven!

Right, then.

Wonderful post, and so thoughtful of Pam and Andrew Hamsher (in the recipes) to send us a few words at this difficult time. I think your mom produced two very good writers and she must have been very proud of both her daughters. My ympathies to family and friends.

My Great grandfather used to tell me stories on the porch. Said he remembered the mighty Mississippi running backwards. I thought he was telling windies until years later in a school textbook I read about earthquakes causing the Mississippi to run backwards.

op99 @ 107 - My husband just commented that much of his and Mom’s coversation over the last week was on Johnathan Alter’s book “The Defining Moment” on the first 100 days of the FDR administration.

Jane,

It was good to see you today. CHS teased me about gushing over you two flights down.

Jane, it’s starting to look like I’m going to get away with being in town for the Lamont-Lieberman debate after all! YAY!

I’ll be in touch when I firm up the details, but it’s looking very promising. I might be a bit sunburned and unwashed, and I’ll have to arrange a ride to and from my boat in Essex, but I’m gonna try like hell to be there!

OilFieldGuy @ 114 - Dang ! Jane invited me to your meeting this morning - I wish I’d seen that !

Pam,

Are you a member of the OKnetroots?

Oilfieldguy @ 117 - nope, hubby hasn’t heard of them either (?)…

Pam 114, your husband sounds like a real prince. It’s a blessing when there’s love between the in-laws.

Bless you Pam and Jane and the rest of your family. My mom was a nurse and asked that contributions after her death be made to hospice, and I for one found so much comfort from the people who chose to do the kind of work. A hospice nurse sent me a poem after the funeral that I liked:

When you were born
You cried and the whole world rejoiced.
Live your life so that
When you die
The whole world will cry and you will rejoice.

I haven’t been able to login for awhile and am sorry to hear of your loss. There’s so much in this entry that says so many good things. Your husband, your mother and you were all blessed to have each other. Not many son in-laws would have treated a mother in law so well and vice versa. To have 3 generations under the same roof, is so rare and wonderful. I’m certain it was beneficial to all. Even your mother’s choice of where to contribute shows so much class.

From what you’ve said, I can see folks saying to St. Peter: “Ya gotta let me in, I know Greta Hamsher Murphy”.

Pach is building a ground up loose knit coalition of political activism. WEchoose the topics we would like to address and the over all national organization lends advice on how to implement. Total control lays with the locals. If pach is still here he can shoot out his email to sign you up. I really need help, as our state group has been basically inert.

op99 @ 119 - Loren (hubby) was actually able to make my mother turn colors she was laughing so hard at his jokes…

Pam,

Greta left us a couple a really fine people…for that we are all grateful. Embrace your grief, for it is for some measure of good that is lost that you grieve. But please accept that she leaves behind at least much as she takes…and that is all a Mom wants.

KEEP THE FAITH AND DO THE RIGHT THING…THAT’S ALL SHE’D ASK!!!