I grew up as little, blonde, freckle-face surfer grom who was excited at any glance of a wave at Doheny. My brother and I were always being hauled around with surfboards, smoothies and bagel shack by the best Mom we could ever ask for. I remember her laughter as she became just as excited about the waves as my brother and I did. She would spend her last dollar on us if that’s what it came down to. I can still taste the huge 32 oz. acai smoothie she would always bring me after excruciating days, sitting in a desk for hours at school while dreaming of surfing Malibu. That was her favorite place to take us. Although it was a mission to get up there everyday, one summer I remember charging it up there almost everyday if the waves were pumping. She drove us so many miles that summer she actually pinched a nerve in her foot so we gave up the old manual 4runner and bought a new automatic one. That is until she forgot to pay the bill one month and we woke up to thinking the car was stolen when in effect it was repossessed. It worked out good because we ended up getting a huge lifted truck for surf trips. All of these memories fill my mind when I look at or hold the one thing my Mom always told me to hold onto, and that is this little wooden cross. She gave one to my brother and one to me and specifically said, “I want you to have this and keep it forever.” To me, the cross signifies my Mom’s legacy as a person, and what she truely lived for. That was to be a believer in Jesus Christ and help spread the word to other people.
This past year has been a rocky road for my life, and my family. A huge disaster happened which I would have never thought possible as a kid. My Mom came down with a severe case of depression and was bedridden for almost three years straight. She started becoming suicidal and literally lost her mind. Basically she became a maniac. She was extremely sick. Before taking her own life on May 8, 2007, she had already attempted suicide many times. It took a huge toll on my family and now that she’s gone our lives will never be the same. She was, the best mom any kids could ever ask for. “Coach mom” was what she lived for. She lived to make our lives what they are today and above all, serve God. I know I’ll see her up there someday.
