I’d like to share with you a few things I remember …
Aileen mentioned a few things about mum, and I’d like to expand on a couple of them. Although we are a very small family, mum’s “extended family” were her longtime friends: Aunty Ann & Uncle Gordon, Aunty Lisa & Uncle Theo, and Victor Gomez - and her neighbours & dear friends on 5th avenue: Mr. and Mrs. Leblanc, Richard and Sandra, Marco and his family Mr. and Mrs. Mazzoni, and Mr. and Mme. Gagnon – who were always there! I remember all of them growing up…
I remember all of us neighbourhood kids playing in the middle of the street, as we did back then - hide ‘n’ seek, tossing a football, playing frisbee and dad often joining in with us… and this one hot summer’s day, we had a waterballoon fight. We were all running around throwing balloons filled with water at each other, getting soaked, laughing and screaming… and I think it was dad who was the only one not wet… Well, he was standing at the side of the house when all of a sudden, this huge balloon drops down on his head, soaking him completely, and giggling wickedly from the open kitchen window was mum… there was no way she wasn’t getting in on the action!
This was a story Sandra and I were reminiscing about last week. We had quite a good laugh at the fun times and silly antics of the “adults”.
Another thing that stands out in my memories of mum was when dad would go pick her up after her shift at the hospital. Mum was a nurse’s aide in the emergency department at Lachine General Hospital for 18 years, and at one time she worked from 3:30-10:30pm. Dad would go get her, and I would sometimes tag along. I don’t know how often I would go, but this memory is so strong and it stuck…
We would arrive, go in and sit on a bench or chair in the corridor and wait for mum to finish up. I remember sitting there looking up that long hallway and seeing mum moving from one room to another. No one walked as fast as mum. She zipped around, checking on patients on stretchers, picking up and carrying folders to another area, stopping to answering patients’ questions, and responding to the often heard, “Mrs. Murray!!!!”
Everyone knew Mrs. Murray. We couldn’t go on a bus, into a store or anywhere without bumping into someone who knew Mrs. Murray. Policemen, ambulance medics, or taxi drivers… “Oh, Mrs. Murray, it’s good to see you…”
When mum retired from the hospital on October 21, 1991, I think it was such a bittersweet time for her. She had loved working there: the action, helping people…
Something that meant so much to her was a tribute written and presented to her at a surprise retirement party the staff held for her. A good friend, Head nurse of the emergency department, Louise Arsenault, wrote this special tribute, which showed how much mum meant to the staff at the hospital.
Tribute from Lachine General Staff
Mum’s Retirement October 21st, 1991
(May, 1973 started – 18 years service)
In the memories of Lachine General lives a tall but trimmed woman with a perky Scottish voice and a rapid footstep. She knows what everything is and where everything should be and don’t ask me how but, she knows who everyone is too, and where they should be!!!! On countless occasions, she would come down that emergency corridor holding in her hands something that she found and that you have been looking for for days.
I know you have guessed by now her name is Jan! It’s our Jan! Her functions were many and her tasks difficult but that little body with a dishtowel tucked into her belt had hands and feet that sure could move!
Our memories of Jan include the sound of: Dr. Lee strolling down the hall asking, “Is Mrs. Murray working today?”
The phone ringing and this unique shout, “Where is Murray this morning? Tell her to get down here!” and we all know who that is…
Dr. Marxfield with a chart tucked under his arm, “Mrs. Murray, do you know if my room is ready?”
Dr. Polson with, “Mrs. Murray, may I have a pair of curved Mayer scissors, medium size, please.”
And Mrs. Murray answering, “I got it ready for you, sir! I figured you would need them.”
It beats me! I still don’t know what they are!
And to this day, Dr. Brown still attributes your leaving to a bad curse that has been put on him!
As for us, Jan, we knew that we were going to miss you but didn’t have any idea of how much! Your expertise in everything, your enthusiasm, your high energy level – and I mean YOUR HIGH ENERGY LEVEL! made you an indispensable person in that emergency.
It is unfortunate though, that someone has to leave before their true value is known, but believe me, and I think after these last few months, everyone here agrees; Jan, you made the emergency of the Lachine General Hospital very proud for many years and the good memories of that tall but trimmed little Scottish woman, will remain for many years to come.
Sincerely,
Louise Annett
Head nurse, Emergency department
Lachine General Hospital
One great memory I will always have of mum, is when the two of us, just the 2 of us, went to Miami Beach together. Although we often had - shall we say a different view of things, and had to sit at opposite ends of the table… - off we went to visit Miami Beach. And we had a great time!
So we swam, shopped, went on a day’s cruise to the Bahamas, walked and walked the beach, and had pina coladas on restaurant patios. There was a drink I had tried that was quite refreshing called a Fuzzy Navel that I wanted mum to try. At one place, mum decided she would order the drinks. Very proudly, she looked at the young waiter, beamed at him, and asked for a hairy bellybutton! I don’t think there was anyone within hearing range who had not almost spewed out his or her drink! Needless to say, we went into hysterics, tears rolling down our faces! What a great trip!
As time passed, and mum aged, and fought with everything in her against getting older – she was determined to be independent, often at all costs.
After mum passed, Aileen and Rhona were taking care of things at the house, when they came across some poems she had kept. There was this piece of notepaper with something special written in mum’s own handwriting. There was no date, no title, no real indication of when mum might have written this. It seems to be her version, of an inspirational poem she must have come across written by Nancye Sims. It meant something to her!!! She had taken the time to write down these ideas in her own words. I would like to think this helped her at some point.
I believe things happen for a reason and I think maybe mum wanted Leen and Rho to find it.
This is what I would like to think mum would want to say to us:
You can make something happy out of everything that happens in life.
Life can make choices for us.
Sometimes these choices seem unhappy or unfair, but in the end, we control our own destiny because we can decide how people and events affect us.
So much of our happiness lies within the choices that we make.
We can accept that life isn’t the way we want it to be, or we can change it so that it will be.
We can walk through the shadows, or we can choose to smile and seek out the sunlight.
We can create grand dreams that never leave the ground, or we can be builders of dreams that can come true.
We can look at only the negative aspects of ourselves, or we can lift ourselves up by being our own best friend.
We can live in the past, or dream about the future, or we can live for today.
We can give up when the road becomes difficult, or we can keep on going until the view is much better.
The choices in life are endless and so is the potential for happiness!
You can be happy now, by choosing to be.
Only you can make that choice.
Only you can find your wings and let your happiness soar.
Thank You
We’d like to thank everyone for sharing in the celebration of mum’s life. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and being there for the family in whichever way you could during this time.
We’d like to thank all the staff at the Belvedere for their support and professionalism.
Thank you, Max, for piping for mum! It was as special as I always knew it would be!
Slainte!!!
