Scuba Diving In Israel
A poem by Samantha Belford
“I’ll take you to israel - we can go on a submarine”
Her words were a promise with a dream inbetween
Voice fragile and so was mine
Eyes warm mouth a line
You could barely tell, but i could
I could and I would and I should
I hear her repeat
I hear her repeat
I hear her repeat
Memories that slip from her mind land in my palm
I carefully closed the space between my fingers
Never let anything slip through
Never let anything slip through
She taught me that
As she faded one thing stayed
One thing always stayed
“Beautiful girl, I'm gonna take you to israel
We can swim with the fish”
In my mind we went
In my mind we went
We dove with the fish
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Mom loved Israel. She was able to visit in the years before Alzheimer's took hold. Even then, she wanted to return and be a counselor there close to the sea. We were able to return mom's ashes to Israel and spread them in the sea. We love and miss you every day.
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Linda is my first cousin, and i always looked forward to seeing her if/when both of us would be visiting our parents at QUADOMAIN in Hollywood florida. Her mother and father, Judy and Sam, and my parents (Ruth and Joe Weiser) both lived there. I had a lovely visit with Linda which i shall always remember, when i brought all three of my children to the building. Linda was visiting and we all met at the pool!! Linda was so engaging and fun for my children in the pool. They were floating on her, they were swimming with her, they were frolicking with her in the pool and to this day still remember that special memory!! Linda also was a gracious host to our family when we visited NAshville, before CARA decided to attend Vanderbilt University. She was a positive person, warm engaging and CARING and will be sorely missed by all. Xo
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Linda and my mom, May Schrager Davis, were first cousins. I always referred to Linda as my second cousin (easier to say) but she was actually my first cousin once removed. Their moms (Judy and Bella) were sisters. Linda was closer in age to me (7-year age difference) than to my mom, and I always looked forward to and have fond childhood memories of my family visits to the Schauer family when they lived in Bridgeport, CT. Linda always greeted me with a warm smile and a hug and immediately engaged me in some fun activities. I remember one special occasion many years following those CT visits when we both happened to be visiting my grandparents (Bella and Harry Schrager, Linda’s aunt and uncle) ) in the Bronx and we both slept over that night. I recall her tucking me in and asking me if I was happy. I told her I was, but couldn’t wait to be old enough to travel and be independent like she was. She told me to enjoy life and not rush the years away. All would be experienced in time. It was great advice! I was thrilled when Anastasia and Sammi moved to NY and my family and I connected with them. It also gave me the opportunity to see Linda when she was in town to visit them. During these NY visits, I was once again greeted by Linda with a warm smile and affectionate hug, and we always picked up where we left off. I am grateful that I have these wonderful memories of Linda to recall and share with her family. She will be missed!❤️
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A compilation from old Super 8 home movies of my mom taken in the early to mid 1970s mostly by my dad. Edited by Emily Shreefter (
https://emilyshreefter.com/)
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When I was a very young girl I would spend a week every summer with my Aunty Lynn and help her take care of Anastasia when she was little. I looked forward to it every year. The highlights were being allowed to go swimming if it was 75 degrees or warmer and an annual trip to Riverside park where we would go on rides together until the sun went down. ALWAYS a lot of fun and laughs whenever we were together… she was a wonderful aunt to me and my brothers.
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2017, Ft Lauderdale, FL, USA
Enjoying dinner before Trey and Becca’s wedding
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2018, Centennial Park, West End Avenue, Nashville, TN, USA
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As I was writing mom's obituary, I realized there is a lot I don't know about her. So much of what I know was shaped by my experience of my mom as well, my mom. It didn't include all of the dates and places, but it does include love, laughter, heartbreak, disappointment - basically all of the complicated emotions that make us human. I am still in the early days of grief, even though I've learned I was in "anticipatory grief" watching her decline and working with my sister from a distance to help coordinate her care. I am still processing all of this. What I can share from this place of raw emotion is that my mom was very spiritual, and I believe her faith brought her peace when she passed. According to what the chaplain shared with Rebecca, she did not struggle or seem anxious. Mom was very much "a wounded healer" whose warmth and generosity was felt by many people who knew her. I know she loved my sister and me and her grandchildren with all her heart, the best that she could. Her life was complicated, at times contradictory, and she was not shy about sharing her struggles. I will miss her irreverence, silliness, her out there opinions, her voicemails just checking in and the ones on my birthday where she would remember the day I was born each year until the disease took hold. She was my biggest cheerleader, pushing me toward what was possible, if not always practical. I look forward to reading other people's memories and encourage people to share on this website - it will be here as long as Ever Loved is :). I want to experience her and get to know different sides of her through your memories. I am working with a friend on compiling some wonderful old Super 8 footage from my dad's home movies that I will share here in the coming months. More to come.
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