It's apparent to me that Mom was clearly in the midst of many projects when she passed (in addition to the things she shared with us children). She was teaching elementary school art, getting a second masters degree in the evening, working on a list of commissioned paintings, working on an environmental drama for children, writing new songs (found ASCAP paperwork), being invited to exhibit her work all while being an incredible mom to us children. I know she would be happy to know that her children are working on organizing her endeavors for us to not only appreciate but to nourish to bear fruit. We do not want all of her multitude of gifts, sacrifices and talents to be forgotten, but to remind us of what she sacrificed and why. She loved nature, she observed it's depletion, she sought to promote conservation and nurture individual gifts in each of us children. She taught us to use our lives for service, to live purposefully and intentionally. We owe it to her to not let our childhood teachings become something of the past.. but live on through our adult lives and be a part of our lives continually. She did not take me to gymnastics 5 days a week so I would have something to do during my teen years. It was a gift for life, I learned lessons for life. It was not just so I could always have a back-up job of teaching gymnastics but know what it takes to work to the nth degree possible on an endeavor. It was so I would know that success can only come with sacrifice and it is usually someone else's sacrifice that helps you get there. It was so that we would know what to do for our own children. I will pass this knowledge on to my children in how I raise them as well. We should not just train for a running marathon, but a life marathon. There are amazing sights to enjoy and our gifts will multiply through our service when we use our talents and keep running.
Following her passing, my husband and I moved to Seattle for graduate school. It was in Seattle where I found a position that truly helped me grieve her loss for a solid 5 years. As a research project manager for an electronic blood pressure study (e-BP), I was fulfilled knowing that one organization had the potential to implement a method for people to monitor their blood pressure at home with the assistance of a clinical pharmacist through secure messaging (to work directly with MD in making necessary med changes). I learned so much from the couple thousand participants we worked with.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17974502
I grieve over what I know now about high blood pressure management that I did not know then. This study brings me comfort knowing that many people have increased their knowledge and tools with which to manage this silent killer. Fortunately, the tools of home monitoring and communication continue to become a greater part of healthcare (www.grouphealthresearch.org). Life is precious and short. We must always embrace our loved ones when we are able.
As I read letters in support of her work, I find reference to a person who did not doubt, whose work was alive and pure. She truly loved nature and relished in being able to capture its beauty. Her soul ached at the notion that human behavior could destroy living creatures without much thought. But she never went about preaching this to anyone. She had gentle ways of encouraging children to think about the fact that once the ant was squished, we could never recreate it if we tried. While not painting, she was an elementary teacher and absolutely loved children dearly (especially reading to them), making that her bread and butter career. Moments in the classroom were food for her soul. And she painted. She painted whenever possible. We can remember her painting in the middle of the night sometimes when she was not disturbed by anyone. Her studio was portable. She was most often referring to her "bug's eye view". She spent a lot of time seeing things from the ground up and her observations of nature inspired her work. The "weedpatch" to others was a haven for wildlife to her. I believe her participation in preserving wilderness by appreciation was her intended goal.
We cherish our memories and the values she passed (the neighborhood plays we put on as children and charged a penny for admittance, the homemade costumes, holiday traditions, love of outdoors and camping, respect for nature, excitement for learning history and literature, interest in human rights and education, and most of all joy).
Trish Haak
