On this one-year anniversary, I stop to reflect on how different my life has been this past year without my Mom around. While I have felt her ever-present around our family - watching the girls bloom - I miss her every day, and miss her impact on our lives. She was my confidant, my mentor, and my friend. I think knowing the positive effect she also had on so many others' lives makes me miss her even more. There are constant reminders of my Mom all the time - little signs from her, no doubt to let us know everything is a-ok (an adorable tree frog today was following the girls and I around the farm! it kept re-appearing and joyfully jumping around!). I take solace in knowing she is now out of pain. Mom, I love you, I miss you - you'll be in my heart forever. Kara xo

Thinking about our beloved Joanne - on this one year anniversary. We have felt her with us this past year - from the bird circling the cemetery during the memorial to numerous little reminders at our house we can always feel her warm presence watching over us. We miss you Joanne/Gigi. Love Yuri, Sierra and Adelaide

I wrote these words to celebrate my Mom's life at her memorial on Prince Edward Island: A few weeks ago, my wife, Jools and I were watching a TV show on Jacqueline Kennedy. Some of you may have seen it…where her daughter discusses the upcoming release of her mother’s famous taped interviews. We were about 10 minutes into the live footage when Jools says, “You know, your Mom was just like Jackie.” Now, initially I was quite skeptical. I mean, I can’t quite see Mom talking politics with Soviet Premier Khrushchev. And while she certainly liked a good dinner out, I’m not sure if state dinners would have been quite her thing. And then there’s that other sticky issue: If Mom was Jackie Kennedy, did that make Brock John F Kennedy? (even Brock would have to agree that there are at least a few subtle differences.) In any case, as we continued to watch, we saw some footage of Jackie conducting a tour of the White House and all her new renovations. Jackie moved from room to room, so perfectly elegant and graceful. And as she enthusiastically explained all the details with that famously soft voice, I really started to think: maybe Jools was on to something. So I did a little research. And sure enough, I started to find all sorts of similarities that made me smile. For example, the Kennedy’s were noted animal lovers and Jackie had a special room designed for their dogs – a room no pet probably really deserves. Now does that remind you of any other dog we know – or of any particular dog pen in any particular bedroom? And then there was the Kennedy Library. I didn’t realize that Jackie had such an important role in its development. It kind of reminded me of another famous library in Sarasota: the Rondeau Library. There, you’d find literally hundreds of pages of orthodontic course materials, all typed and edited by Mom. There’s a manuscript of Nana’s memoirs, equally full of Mom’s careful edits. And then there are all of those files, lists, directories and other household records, each typed up with Mom’s famous precision and organizational talent. So, yes, this Mom and Jackie O thing was starting to make sense. But here’s where it really hit home for me, in this quote from Dr. Deepak Chopra, a famous author, healer and good friend of Jackie. He said, “She had no ego. She was very natural. She had a great sense of humor! She was a lot of fun, the way she joked and kidded around.” And there in that one quote, was my mom. She was the least egotistical person I know. In fact, I’m not sure that she ever really knew how special a person she was, how talented, how beautiful, how well loved by friends and family. Even through her illness, she was always worried about how others were managing, particularly her children. I can still hear her comforting voice, telling me not to worry and that everything would be OK. And, of course, there was that sense of humor. It’s no surprise that so many of the memories we have all shared over the past couple of days center around times when we laughed and giggled together with Mom, sometimes over a glass of dry white wine, sometimes over several bottles. Her laugher was infectious and made everyone feel so good. The thing that will always strike me personally is how, even in her final days, she could still make me laugh out loud. There was one particular incident that Kara might remember where we were giving her lunch in bed. It was obviously a struggle for her to swallow and she really wasn’t all that hungry. But that afternoon, she did manage to finish a chocolate pudding we’d brought in. I was quite excited about this, hoping it had given her at least some satisfaction. And so I blurted out, “Mom, you finished the entire pudding!” Without missing a beat, she let out the most hilariously sarcastic, Who-hoo!! as she twirled her finger in the air. It just cracked me up. I mean I really couldn’t stop laughing. Suddenly, all the drugs, the pain, the medical appointments just kind of disappeared and in that one perfect moment, we all felt so happy to be together. Who would have thought that this tiny lady with the soft voice could have such a powerful influence on those around her? Jackie Kennedy indeed! And I guess that was the thing that surprised people the most about my Mom: she had this amazing strength. Despite the cancer, the headaches, the pain, she had this uncanny ability to fight and survive. Here’s another quote from Jackie Kennedy that seems so appropriate: “I have been through a lot and I have suffered a great deal. But I have had lots of happy moments, as well. Every moment one lives is different from the other. The good, the bad, hardship, the joy, the tragedy, love, and happiness are all interwoven into one single, indescribable whole that is called life. You cannot separate the good from the bad. And perhaps there is no need to do so, either.” I can almost hear my mom whispering those same words in my ear during those final days when we said goodbye. Yes, Mom was very much our Jacqueline Kennedy, our First Lady. And though she’d be the first to disagree, I’m sure she would have enjoyed the comparison. I know I would have enjoyed explaining it to her on this sunny day here on Prince Edward Island. She’d smile, maybe even laugh out loud. And that would have made me very happy. I’ll miss you, Mom.