I wanted to speak at my mom’s funeral – sorta.  I wanted to but I didn’t have confidence that I’d be able to when it came time so I declined.  Now I wish I had been able to say a public goodbye and give my mom a tribute from her favorite child…okay, I just added that last part to get a rise from NJ who will undoubtedly read this.  That was one thing both my parents made sure we understood:  there were no favorites.  However, I think each of us kids might have thought we were because mom was each of our best friend.  Even though she made it understood Dad was always her true best friend. Continue reading →