A sad day

One of my most beloved clients' mother passed away at the still young age of 55 from colon cancer. Wendy Huntley, wife to Al, mother to Heidi (& Jon) and Heather, was one of those types of people that I just had no choice but to adore from the moment I even heard about her. Heidi would tell me little snippets about her mom and it felt like I already knew her--like she was already part of my life. I felt the same way about Heidi when I first started talking to her, and then when I met her sister Heather, as well. Maybe it is because Wendy passed that on to her daughters, maybe it's because they are just all genuinely cool people, or (more likely) it's a combination of both. Either way, the day I met Wendy was at Heidi's wedding and it was all I could do to refrain from calling her "Mom" as she definitely had that mother-hen aura about her. While I'm not quite sure, I have a feeling that she ran the house that all the neighborhood kids came to and hung out at. The "cool" mom that teenagers opened up to. The kickass lady that adults adored and parents wanted to emulate. No matter if I'm wrong, she definitely radiated that about herself when I met her. I do know, though, that she raised two incredible daughters and that's saying a lot in this world. Not that her husband, Al, didn't have anything to do with how great their kids are, but you know what I mean. ;o) I loved photographing her when she didn't realize I was watching--her smile lit up the entire place and her eyes sparkled. You couldn't help but feel happy around her.

One of our last conversations between Wendy and I took place before I left Heidi's wedding and will probably stick with me forever...it went like this.

Me: "Mom, I'm heading out."
Wendy: "You leaving?"
Me: "Yeah, gotta get home to the hubby."
(Pause as we collectively take in the scene--people dancing, chatting, laughing, and having a great time)
Wendy: "Do I throw the best damn party or what?"
Me: "Heck yes you do! I want to be invited to the next party you throw because if it's anything like this, it will be awesome!"
Wendy: "That's what I'm saying!"

We hugged goodbye, she thanked me for all my hard work, we did the typical "goodbye" things, and I have to admit that seeing her that night, I was hopeful that the doctor's were wrong. She just looked too damned good to not beat this crappy disease. But when I got a call from Heidi's dad last week I was quickly reminded of how cruel life can be sometimes. On Friday, Heidi emailed me and told me that her mom had passed away on Thursday, August 24. I was crushed...still am. I never understand when we lose people we love...or people that have touched us...or are related to people we care about. I believe that there is a reason for everything, even if we don't like it, yet it always hurts. I'd like to think that Wendy is in a better place, throwing THE party of a lifetime and all I can say is, "Wendy, I'll be at your party when the time is right, and it better be as awesome as you promised!"

Much love to Al, Heather, Heidi, Jon and the rest of the family. You're all in my thoughts and I love you guys dearly.