Gaye Elaine Pammett — "Climb Every Mountain"

Every year it is with great sadness and anticipation of reliving the loss that I count down the days until the anniversary of that day — Oct 24^th, 1980 — when we all got the shocking news that my dear sister, Gaye Elaine Pammett, was tragically taken from us. In that moment, listening to my Dad on the phone who called up broken-hearted and in a state of shock, I knew that life as I knew it would never be the same... though I could not imagine what it would be like continuing to live my life without her.

This year, on the 27^th anniversary of that day, I've made a slightly different version of the "commemorative" picture that we used at Gaye's memorial service, just because I wanted to do something to honor her memory — to make her more present in my day-to-day life.

We came up with the phrase — "Climb Every Mountain" — back in 2005 when our church decided to create a "memory garden" as a fund raiser so we could repaint the First Parish Church (Unitarian Universalist) in Groton, Massachusetts. I used the phrase on "Gaye's brick" in that garden as a metaphor for the life she lived and the example that she provided to many others.

How sad it is that my children never got to know Gaye. How amazing it is that they are now old enough to be living away from home; Gaye has been gone — at least her physical presence on Earth — almost the same number of years that her shining light and radiance brought joy to everyone that she encountered.

When I look at the maple tree we planted in Gaye's honor, now growing in our back yard since 1998... every season of the year, but especially the Fall colors, remind me that her spirit still lives on in my heart, as it will forever. Gaye — I still hear you, in the wind bringing your reassuring presence to me. Thank you. Rest in peace.