This is the saddest and most difficult blog post that I have ever written. My friend and fellow blogger, Marie Jackson-Bonenberger, age 58, also known as "TheMom" of Attentive Aphorist passed away this past Saturday night. Marie and I were Facebook friends as well as blogger buddies and her daughter posted the sad news Sunday on Facebook. I have already commented my sympathy on Facebook, but again, my deepest sympathy goes out to her family.
Marie's blog was one of the first to appear on my blogroll and was one of my favorites. I liked her outspoken, tell it like it is rants! I also loved how she mixed it up and would update her blog, sometimes several times a day and just let us know what she was up to, and it was never boring. "TheMom" had many interesting things to say about "TheDaughter," "TheGrandson," and "TheSon," who were all regular features on her blog, and of course her neighbors! Many times, before her "TheMom" signature, she would say, "I shall return!" She especially loved using those exclamation marks too! I think it was one way of expressing her happiness with life.
Marie was a loyal follower of my blog and passed on several MeMe awards to me and of course left probably more comments than anyone. I was also surprised at nearly every holiday to receive an e-card from her. She also sent me e-cards "just because" with no special occasions. That little gesture meant a lot to me. I think we had a special connection, because we had so many things in common.
If you read her blog often then you really got to know her, as she was practically famous for her many MeMe's--especially her "Sunday Stealings," which I don't know why, but she sometimes apologized for having so many MeMe's. Each time she did that I would leave a comment telling her not to apologize, and that reading them let us get to know her even more intimately.
Last summer she had wrote about "TheGrandson" and his Mickey Mouse watch and I commented that I loved it and had one too that I bought from Nickelodeon, but it didn't work any more. It just needed a new battery, but no store would install one. The stores made excuses that they might damage the watch in the process of removing the back.
That same day I got an email from her telling me that she had worked many years in jewelry and she would be happy to get my watch working again! She had all the necessary tools to remove the back, install a battery and make sure it worked properly! I was so excited and asked her if she would also do the same with an expensive watch I had bought many years ago from the now closed Sharper Image. She said sure, she would be happy to get any of my watches working again, gave me her mailing address and said to send them and we'd work out the details later. She had big plans coming up, so I put it off.
She had been so excited to take "TheDaughter" and "TheGrandson" to Virginia Beach for vacation, so I waited before I mailed the watches. Then I waited a little longer to give her some time to rest up after vacation. It wasn't long after that and she was first hospitalized with heart problems. I didn't want to burden her after that, as I knew she needed rest and less or no stress. I say "no stress," because she had mentioned in December that she was going to refrain from some of her blogging rants about certain Republicans and a certain Faux News Channel. She could get herself really worked up just thinking about those things!
I don't know if her blog will remain up, but I hope so. It will remain on my blogroll though. There are so many archives and I have not read all of her posts yet. I didn't always leave a comment, because I would read blogs so late at night that if I left a comment then with the time stamp people would wonder if I ever slept! Of course, she said not to worry about that! She didn't worry about petty things like that and if somebody didn't like what she did, said or thought, then too bad! With Marie, what you see IS what you get, and she lived life to the fullest with very few regrets. She was not afraid to let her opinion be known and I loved that about her. She was a very strong willed woman that I admired greatly. I always hoped to meet her in person, but I am thankful for the interaction I had with her online.
As a tribute to her, I am going to carry on her tradition of her Saturday "Caturday" posts. Mine won't be as good, I already know that! Marie had to spend a lot of time looking for those funny postings for us cat lovers. I am planning to have something though to do with cats every Saturday, if possible. This will help me to keep her memory alive. Rest in Peace, Marie.
"TheMom" is gone, but won't be forgotten.
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