Thank you all for coming to celebrate and remember our mom’s life.
Whether you knew mom from various ministries here at church, such as Kinships and community groups, choir, and worship team, missions trips to Ecuador, BSF, church camp planning, or as an employee or work associate, or from Tsubaki, Lake of the Pines, or CBM 50+, or even just as a friend or neighbor, now or sometime in the past, she was a blessing to all around her.
It was important for mom to share what God blessed her with, to bless others. She used her analytical and organizational strengths: to run the family business for 40+ years, to organize church camp registration and room assignments (with her spreadsheets and dormitory floorplans all covered in post-it notes), and to plan the details of Ecuador mission’s trips. She used her craft skills to create homemade craft projects for Ecuador or to simply bless others by sewing innumerable amount of bowl cozies. She used her musical skills and wonderful voice in the church choir and worship team. Just to name a few.
Yet as much as she poured out of herself to her community, Mom did so, that much more, for us, her children, for dad, for our family. Mom was such an incredible mom. She was the constant, stabilizing, reassuring calmness in our home. She poured out her love to us, always guiding us with a gentle hand and making sure we had everything we ever needed. She was full of patience when we did dumb stuff, and gracious when we made mistakes. She had incredible forbearance: not once do I ever recall mom ever getting upset, mad, or frustrated.
Mom was such a hard worker. Yet, with all that was on her plate with work and ministry, she always made sure our plates (literally and figuratively) were full first. From preparing breakfast and dinners and our school lunches, helping with schoolwork, doing holiday crafts like gingerbread houses and dyeing Easter eggs, and doing puzzles and playing cards and board games. Of course, we had to abide by mom’s house rule: “You win, you clean up!” Mom made sure we had a blessed childhood.
Mom taught us so much. She taught us how to play together growing up. She taught us our first notes on guitar and piano (and later made sure we practiced—no dinner until you practice!). She taught us how to cook, clean, and do laundry. She prepared us for life on our own as we left for college. She taught me how to drive stick shift. She taught us to treat others with respect. She taught us to be responsible (although I think she probably got through to Sheryl and David more on that one). She taught us the meaning of loyalty. When our pediatrician told her that David was allergic to dogs and that mom would have to choose between David and Puppychow, … I mean, what’s a mother to do? … Of course…she kept the dog—because in her words, “PTT, wellllll, the dog came first.”
She had her little quips, even those were full of wisdom that somehow, we learned a lot from:
- “Don’t ask me what time it is!” – We had to always make sure we had a watch. Thank goodness we have cell phones now!
- “No news is good news!” – She wouldn’t worry unless there was a reason to.
- “Well then!” – As she helped us logically analyze some irrational, emotional worries we were having in some sorrowful predicament we found ourselves in.
- “Try it, you might like it!” – I say this all the time to my kids…
- “PPTT!” – that’s about as frustrated as I’ve ever seen mom get
But Mom also taught us by living out her faith. (“More is caught than taught” also holds true.) It was important to be a part of the church family, to put others first, the golden rule. To be hospitable: she would invite people over for lunch after church or individuals who had no family in town over for Thanksgiving dinner. She welcomed all our friends that we wanted to have over and then insisted they stay for dinner. She hosted community group. She brought us to BSF. She lived with integrity, generosity, tenderness, graciousness, hospitality, resourcefulness, and love. She gave of her talents, abilities, time, and resources. We are who we are today because we saw every day how mom lived and walked in faithfulness.
Over the past year and a half, as mom battled cancer, from the moment of her diagnosis, she fully trusted in God’s providence and faithfulness. Even as her body weakened, she looked forward to the glory that awaited her in heaven, to be with her Savior in perfect peace. If anything, out of all of us, Mom was the most at peace with her circumstances, faced with the possibility of death. While the rest of us were a mess, she saw God’s sovereign hand over her every step of the way, guiding her home those last days to be with Him, never wavering in the hope of eternity.
You were an amazing person, Mom. Death has, only for a time, taken you from us. You are now face to face with God, talking to Him as a friend, just like Adam in the garden and Moses on the mountain. Thank you for reading us those stories and for having the faith to believe them even though they seemed improbable or impossible. The God—who at best in this mortal life can be known dimly and partially, – you now know fully.
1 Corinthians 13:12: For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known”.
