Rena Colleen Berube died of cervical cancer on January 26th, 2011. She fought long and hard for her life and in the end it was her time to go home. This fight is only a small part of what makes Rena, Rena. She cannot be defined by the last years of her life.
My mother loved life, she loved everything about it. "Stop and smell the roses “was her life metaphor... she would literally stop and smell the roses, daisies, morning glories, all and any flowers. My mother was a flower lady. She could see the beauty in everything and everyone. She knew that it was the little things in life that counted the most; it was through the smallest of actions that she made the biggest impact.
She knew how to live her life to the fullest. From doing cartwheels down the hallways as a candy striper, working at nursing homes to take care of people just because she loved to, to going to the ocean every summer and spending the entire day there; my mother took every part of her life, our lives and made it beautiful, fun and wonderful.
She had a love of the ocean as if it called her soul to it. In every sense of the words my mother was like the ocean, indescribably beautiful, strong willed and powerful. She was incredible to say the least; she had the ability to do whatever she put her mind to. She could paint, draw, sing, dance, write, garden... anything she wanted to do my mother could do. Compassionate, loving, incredibly beautiful, intelligent, wild, giving, hilarious, fun, adventurous, and wise are a few words people have used to describe my mother over the past few days.
I guess I would have to say to these people to hold onto her memory, the old Rena we all knew and loved so much, the Rena that put all others before herself, and kept heed to God’s word.
She was an incredible person and she will be greatly missed.
