Journey's End

On a cold day in May of 1934, in a farmhouse on the outskirts of a small town in South Africa, a tiny baby girl was born. She was to be the last of seven siblings, because by the time she turned a year old, her mother had tragically succumbed to pneumonia.
 
They lived a simple and by her own account, a happy childhood, despite the Great Depression that was affecting the entire world. She always spoke glowingly of her father and his ability to fill both parental roles with ease. Not having many earthly things instilled in her a sense of frugality, resourcefulness and sparked her incredible creativity.
 
When she was widowed at the age of 36, she found the strength to raise four children to adulthood by herself. She passed on her compassion, creativity, and can-do attitude not only to her kids, and was an inspiration to many.
 
At the age of 75, she got her first computer and dove into it the same way she did with everything else in life; head first, fearless. She learned Photoshop and a number of other creative programs and when she discovered blipfoto, she started using a camera for the first time in decades.
 
Her love for all living things was genetically passed on to her kids. Her gardens were always amazing. She probably read every book and watched every program about the topics that interested her. In her last years, her blipfoto friends became like family, which is why she requested that I inform her blip friends if something should happen to her.
 
Following a sudden decline in her health, our Mom, Hinden passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 17th, after seeing all her children together one last time. Her wish was to remain in her home, not to be taken to a hospital or hospice and we honored that wish.
 
Thank you for all your love, support and comments on her journal. It was a twelve year long labor of love for her and a record of her life that we will treasure and revisit often.