Yesterday, my mother, Sherry Baer, passed away.

She had been battling many ailments for quite some time. Although her spirit is as resilient as they come, her mortal body gave up, as we will experience one day. She was a remarkable human being. She adopted me as a small child and loved me unconditionally. Her heart was big enough for that act of compassion and a lifetime more...she helped countless people in her chosen profession and was the best social worker I have ever known. She was a strong advocate for the poor, the mentally ill, the abused, the terminally ill, the disabled, and the addicted. The work she did will never get the credit it deserves, but she didn't do it for recognition. Helping people was something that brought her joy. All she wanted to do was help everyone she could help...and worked with people until just a few years ago into her mid-70s when it became too difficult to get around. She taught me to be a responsible and compassionate person, and I hope I can reflect just a fraction of her brilliance. She was an avid reader and always gave her brain stimulation. She was very well-spoken and had a giant vocabulary, which she passed on to me in part. She spent her years loving her family and doing everything she could for us. She spent the last few chapters of her life living with her sister, my aunt Cathy, and they were quite the team! Their bond was the kind of bond siblings should have, and in addition to being siblings, they were soulmates. Even though we did not always see eye to eye, I always held the utmost respect for her soul and character, and if she gave me advice, I knew I could count on it. Mom never missed an opportunity to tell me how much she loved me, even when I was not the most lovable person. Nobody could hold a candle to her in Trivial Pursuit. When I was a child, I exhibited some seeds of talent, which she carefully tended and protected. She encouraged me to follow my dreams and forge my path in life, which has taken me all over the globe. When I was 38, I met my birth mother, and mom encouraged me and told me, "You can never have too many people who love you." She accepted my birth family as her own extended family. How utterly gracious she was...Sherry Karen Baer had a heart of gold and was loved by so many people.

We found out that she did not have an insurance policy, so we would like to be able to afford the final expenses and have a gathering of her friends and loved ones. Thank you for your love for my mother and your generosity.

~Mark Hartenberger

 

"The vagaries of life prevent us from coming to the phone right now...but leave your name and number, and we'll return your call as soon as possible." And then she would butt dial me at 6AM...and call me back to let me know she didn't mean to call. Now I wonder how long I can call that number to hear that message before it gets a new owner.

 

Desiderata

 

GO PLACIDLY amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a

beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

 

~Max Ehrmann 1927

 

Death Is Nothing At All

 

Death is nothing at all.

It does not count.

I have only slipped away into the next room.

Everything remains as it was.

 

The old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.

Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.

 

Call me by the old familiar name.

Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.

 

Put no sorrow in your tone.

 

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.

Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.

Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.

 

Let it be spoken without effort

Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was.

 

There is unbroken continuity.

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?

 

I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner.

 

All is well. Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.

 

One brief moment and all will be as it was before.

 

How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting, when we meet again.

 

~Henry Scott-Holland