EILEEN LARKIN

For twelve years my wife Carol and I spent the winter months in the tiny village of Killeenaran on the Southeast corner of Galway Bay in Ireland. On our daily walks we would pass by the Larkin Cottage. If the weather was good Eileen Larkin would always be out tending to her flowers. She was a short woman with white hair, bright eyes and a ready smile, well into her 80’s, clothed in a tweed skirt and wool sweater, intent on pruning, digging, or cutting the flowers, many of which were destined for the church altar on Sunday. (A service for which she was thanked and honored by none other than the Pope himself). I think of her time in her garden as her daily devotion.


If the weather was stormy you would see her sitting in the entry way by the window (also laden with potted flowering plants) reading the daily paper which informed her on politics and sports. She knew what was going on and how well or poorly all the local teams were faring. 


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When Carol and I visited Eileen in her kitchen this past February, Bernie was offering tea and biscuits, Sammy now had another dog to play with, and Eileen was in her chair by the fire, happy to see us and welcoming us back, but slipping in and out of the conversation. She was 99 and still looking forward to her 100th birthday in the summer, but we could tell that her time to leave was coming. This week it did come, but not before she had called in her many grandchildren so that she could say goodbye in person. Her quiet strength and faith has been instilled in every one of her children, her grandchildren as well as those of us who were lucky enough to be her neighbors and friends. There is no doubt in my mind that Eileen Larkin will rest in peace. She blessed us all with her presence.

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