Rachel

Mom always made really nice meals and yet put a large emphasis on health and nutrition. Every meal had at least 1 vegatable but usually two. If she felt one of us needed to go on a diet, she put the whole family on a diet and encouraged through word and mostly example the importance of physical exercise. She cooked low-fat, low-salt and low-sugar. She tried her best to follow the wisdom she had about health and diet. She worried about dad eating too much salt and played a trick on him once that really just back fired at her. She put so much salt in the soup that she couldn't even eat it. She served it and as she knew he would dad salted it before even tasting it. It worked-or maybe not because the next thing dad said was......This is the best soup you have ever made.
I found it humorous when dad and Adri got married he told me her bread is even better than moms. I compated the recipes--the only difference is the amount of salt:)

Most of moms teaching was done through the way she lived her life. Sometimes one must grow old, experience trials and have a rough time to appreciate the many things that were taught. Such as the phone thing. It was not that mom cared about the people on the other end more but that she was able to put the current challenging situation aside and share love with someone on the phone. That is a hard thing to do.

Mom was nicknamed saint Meriden by her friends because her every action in her day was for the benefit of others--her family, her neighbors, her students, her friends. Her love knew no bounds. She was always in the service of others!