My Speech for My Mother's Funeral

Sunday March 24th marked 5 months without my mother. I miss her so very much. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about and I would give anything to have her here again.

I have received a few requests for the talk/speech I gave at my mother's memorial service. It's taken me a while to post it, but here it is for the world to see. Just FYI... I did ad-lib and changed things around a little bit.





First, that was really mean to have me speak after the Choir sang "The Candlelight Carol". Thank you so much to the Disney Choir for making the trip to be here it was beautiful. When my mom first got sick the first thing she complained about was not being able to do the Candlelight program with you guys. It really was her favorite thing to do all year.

Thank you so much to all of our family and friends! We have been extremely overwhelmed with the reaction we have gotten from all of you! It has been a blessing to see how many lives my mom has touched and how many of you deeply care for her and our family. My Mother, Donna Lee Nielsen Vizzard, was born September 8th, 1951 and then raised in the San Fernando Valley. She fondly received the nickname "Muggins" from her Grandma Reeves. Grandma came up to mom's bassinet and said "you're gonna be my "Ruggin Muggins". Her grandmother wanted her to ride horses and walk on fences and be sort of a tough girl, but mom (the lady who considers motel 6 camping) would have nothing to do with that. When she was little and wouldn't fall asleep her parents would take her for a drive and sure enough she would fall asleep. Sometimes her parents would drive her and her sister down to Disneyland just to watch the fireworks from outside the park in the parking lot and not even go inside! At 22 she married the love of her life in November of 1973, with whom she would start her dream life and raise two children... Little did she know she was really getting three kids... One was just a little bigger and older.

In 1969 and a senior in high school my mom was able to participate in a Golden Green Ball, it is a way for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to recognize the High School Seniors in the area... with a really weird name. I randomly found the "Resume" they found for her that night.
---- read resume----

Well, she did get married in the temple. And As a talented seamstress and arts and crafts guru she made many things for our family. When John was in Kindergarten he wanted to be a dinosaur for Halloween. So what did my mom do?? She worked long and hard and made an amazing dinosaur costume!! (describe) It was so good that John won first place in his costume contest and he was lead to the front of the group by the cop he was scared of! Then when I was a freshman in high school I found the costume and made it work for my halloween costume. I even ended up making it in the year book as "Karen Lizzard Vizzard". Also when I was on drill team in 8th grade my mom sewed my dress and one other team mates dress for our final competition. Which happened to be a swing dance number that we won first place with!!!

Then she continued on doing what made her happy with church callings and teaching. She became Young Woman's president 3 or 4 times and relief society teacher primary teacher and various other callings where every time she dedicated herself to those young women and men. She would often tell stories of all of them. The one that just comes to mind (since I grew up with their daughter) Sherri and Larry Ready were high school sweet hearts and mom said you could always tell what kind of day it was if Larry was walking in with Sherri behind waving her finger nagging him for something. As Young women's president my mom had us fill out surveys asking for our birthdays, favorite color, favorite historical figure, candy and of course favorite Disney character... And a second one just in case. Now I'm sure many of you don't know this, but my mom had a Disney addiction. (Or as my dad would say a Disney affliction if you saw his check book). She would always make sure the girls had a nice present with as many of those thing incorporated as possible to celebrate their birthday. Cash always burned a hole in her pocket... She would always have to spend it, even if it wasn't on herself.

She loved everything that Disney embodied... Good wholesome FAMILY fun. So, After high school she worked at Pacific Bell and took some time off to be a stay at home mom. She then decided to start her 23 year career at the Disney Store at the Northridge Fashion Center. Why? To get the discount, of course!

Well, Because mom worked at the Disney store we were the coolest kids in school! At least, I was. Mom would always come to career day and pass out Disney coloring sheets that dad made copies of on his copier routes. After she did her presentation everyone would look at me as if I was the key to some secret world! Sometimes for our birthdays we would get to take a friend or two to Disneyland with us and a lot of times we would go for no special reason at all. When we went to the park we'd see the Country Bear Jamboree. After we ate at the country bear restaurant and she would let me get anything I wanted. Even though she told me every time that I wasn't allowed to feed the ducks in the river next to the restaurant, I still snuck French fries under the table. I think she just pretended not to notice most of the time.

We would go to "people watch" with Grandma all the time. We were completely content sitting on a park bench with a churro listening to the happy Dixieland music (which she recently had told me change to a band I have been dancing to for years). But don't worry she was always in for an adventure on any ride, as long as it wasn't a water ride... after the sun went down.

My mom competed in Disney Trivia competitions. And She knows almost anything you could think to ask her about Disney! The last time we went to Disneyland Dabney was there with us and he just kept asking trivia question after trivia question. And she was never stumped! That same trip we heard some jazz music being played in New Orleans Square and of course... I look at my mom giving the "oh please can i?!" look and she said, "oh go ahead." Dabney and I start dancing and start to draw a crowd! She was so excited because people were asking if we were part of the entertainment! SImagine that her daughter part of Disney entertainment! She pulled out her camera and started snapping!

Because of the friends she had made over the years at Disney we all were able to do things that hardly anyone gets to do! Like dad being able to go to Minnie's Moonlight Madness, having lunch with a Disney ambassador... or 2, going to the disney studios (just to get a rice krispy treat from the commissary because those were her favorite), meeting the voice actors of Mickey and Minnie, animators and Disney historians galore!

When my mom found out about her disease she took the news gracefully and steadfastly. She held fast to her testimony in God's plan for her. But she wasn't going down without a fight! She knew what was at stake, but said to me, "I'm going down swinging." To Kill a Mocking Bird was one of her favorite books. At one time she had 3 copies of the book. The best way to describe how she felt about it is in that book. "'Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win,' Atticus said." My mom experienced more trials than most woman have had to and came out on top with a smile on her face ready to face the next one head on. There was never a dull moment with mom, even if you were just sitting and watching TV because she was there it was something special.

My mother was the best example I could have asked for. When I was little and would ask why I had to be adopted "You were always supposed to be mine, you just had to get to me a different way." I'm so glad that I was always going to be with her and will forever be with her. I love my mother and the rest of my family with all of my heart. I will miss my mom dearly, but am so glad she is now in a better place.

Dance Inspiration? At a Pizza Place?!

YES!!

Every Wednesday there is a live band that plays in East Mesa from 5pm-7:30pm. Dabney's dad is in the band so we have made a habit of taking the nieces and nephews to see grandpa play while we dance.

This last Wednesday was particularly memorable. A little girl, about 4 years old, named Kenzie came up and shyly asked me and my nieces to dance.

Of course, I obliged. My niece (6yrs old) took some convincing but finally one of them came out onto the dance floor after protesting, "NO! I can't dance! I don't know how!!"

Both of these little girls copied what I was doing and were having a BLAST dancing to Dixieland music!! Soon enough they got the courage to do their own dancing. They lost all inhibitions and just let go! They looked absolutely ridiculous but they didn't care they were just having fun.

That is something (I think) all dancers should have, but in my experience it is extremely rare to find that type of liberation in a dancer. I have been working on letting myself go and just dancing for me (I will also admit that I had forgotten about that goal until today).

The first time I really felt that I let myself be in the dance and in the music and not give a rat's a** about anything else was the day my mom passed away. I went dancing at Strutters Ball in Orange County. I asked Mikey Pedroza to dance and for the first time ever I was dancing without inhibition, without hesitation, without worry. I unlocked something in my dancing that night that I had never experienced before!

It is an awesome feeling and I'm trying oh so hard to feel that way all the time! I just need the little helpful inspiring reminders along the way!