- Hillary Clinton Attends Fundraising Event with her mother Dorothy Rodham and her niece Fiona Rodham.
When
a parent dies, the siblings come together to perform the sad ritual of
making funeral arrangements. There is something comforting in that
democratic process. Sometimes, the children are surprised to learn that
the parent already had arrangements in place. I suspect that may have
been the case with Dorothy Howell Rodham who passed away early last
Tuesday morning. She had lived with her daughter in the family's
Georgetown residence but was an independent soul who would not have wanted
to burden her children with the task at such a difficult time.
As
the weekend draws to a close, and the daughter prepares to return to
her work week, and a new normal - one without her mother there to greet
her after a long, hard day at work - it occurs to me that there is
another task to be accomplished. Particularly when it is the mother who
passed, that duty always falls to the daughter(s) of the family: dealing
with the personal effects.
That
house in Georgetown has all of Dorothy's things in it. I know some
cynical people, even among Hillary bloggers, who would brush this off by
saying that Hillary has plenty of money to pay people to do this
wrenching task, but it is one that I believe Hillary and Chelsea would
want to do themselves.
When
packing the clothing, you run across something, a dress, a coat a
blouse, that might somehow fit into your wardrobe even if it does not
exactly fit you, and you keep it. I kept some of my mother's nightgowns,
and even though she was shorter and stouter than I, one of her winter
coats sort of fit. I kept it for years. Wearing it somehow made me feel
like mom was hugging me, and I missed her so much. I admired a jacket on
a colleague some years ago, and he told me it had been his dad's and
wearing it was a comfort. For that, I doubt that Hillary would relegate
this job to strangers or servants.
There
is also the jewelry which customarily is distributed among female
family members and perhaps friends. This is a long, difficult, and
taxing task. It is not one that is entered into immediately. For a time,
you want to keep the essence of your loved one around and these effects
help. But ultimately it must be done, and my mind has been on this
today. My heart goes out to Hillary and Chelsea as this duty confronts
them, and it breaks thinking of Hillary coming home on Monday night and
not finding Dorothy home as she has been all these years.
Mme.
Secretary, having been there, I know what you are facing, and I would
hug you if I could. There are still, after 16 years, things of my mom's
that I cannot let go of. I loved your mom, too. I wish you comfort in
the weeks ahead as you adjust to your new normal and consider when the
time will be to begin to go through her things. I hope you find a robe,
shawl, or coat of hers that can give you a hug from your mom when you
need one.
