Hi everyone, welcome to thanks for being here. A short weekly pod to remind us of the many

essential and beautiful ways we affect one another. Every Sunday, I'll read a submission

from a listener of Kelly Corrigan Wonders. Could be wedding vows or about mitzvah toast,

a eulogy or retirement speech. We believe this is the loveliest way to tap into our better selves,

and remember our highest values. We encourage you to share this podcast each week with one person

you love. Maybe someone you miss or need to bring closer. Someone you want to feel your appreciation

or admiration or both. This is thanks for being here.

Hey everybody, today's thanks for being here is from a woman named Anne Marie Bell.

She says her mom was a life force unlike most. She was the mother of eight children,

a PhD candidate at 55 just for fun, who had a massive stroke while ski patrolling at 80.

She fought hard to recover for nearly five years until a second stroke took her.

Her obituary photo was of her hang gliding over Brazil. In her note to me, Anne Marie says,

when Kelly talks about greenie, I sense that he and my mom were cut from the same big family

Catholic cloth. It's hard to capture in words, but I tried using laughter and props along the way

just as she would. I sat on this a bit, but the more I listened to the others on the podcast,

the more I felt it was time to share my people, if only to an audience of a few. Well,

we're sharing it widely today, Anne Marie. Thanks, and thanks for giving us a sense of your

outrageously daring mother. Good afternoon. I'm Anne Marie. I think it's safe for me to say that

despite asking for a baby sister or a pony for much of my childhood, I'm guessing that isn't happening.

I am the youngest child of Charlie and Anne, the wonderful life force we celebrate today.

Capturing the spirit of anyone's life is a daunting task, but capturing the life of this

particular woman feels nearly impossible. Luckily, even as my 12-year-old could tell you, Nana clearly

...