FOR BETTER OR WORSE IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my mom again for her FAITHFULNESS!  When she walked down the isle in 1956 she had no idea all the heart ache she would endure.  My father  struggled all his life with mental illness. 

Even now when I think back it's hard to believe all that my mom had to endure.  I am not blaming my father.  I loved my father very much and the example came from my mom.  She would always say:
He's a person!  She respected the dignity of his person hood in spite of the way he treated her and all the heartache he caused her because of his mental illness.

Why am I thinking of my mom today?  Because she died on Good Friday 1990.  She suffered that Holy Thursday as her lungs were filling up and found it hard to breath.  She suffered on Good Friday until the Lord took her home at 7pm that evening.  We here family were all at her bedside. 

Just before she began her journey to spend eternity with our Lord she opened her eyes and had a single tear coming down her face.  She had been in a coma for months so it was significant that she opened her eyes.  I know she was sad about leaving us and yes leaving her husband.
She so worried about my dad until her dying day.  I remember her being in the hospital and hearing the phone ringing and asked; "is that Tom?"

She poured out her life like our Lord.  Her life was a living sacrifice!  She wasn't worried about her happiness!  If she had she would have never stayed with my father who caused her so much heart ache.  She once said to me; "God dealt me a hand and I played it."  This was in reference to cards because she loved playing cards!

My mom's faithfulness mattered and so does ours!  Last night my niece Katie went to Holy Thursday services with me.  I am so impressed with her deep spirituality for a sixteen year old as I am with the faithfulness of all of my nieces and nephews.  We talked about my mom and what an honor it was that the Lord took her home on Good Friday. 

I see the fruit of my mom's faithfulness in the lives of her grand children.  She would be so proud of all of them.  Of course they are not perfect we all have our issues because of original sin but at this point they are all good kids and good young adults.  I truly believe that we her children and grandchildren are reaping the benefits of her faithfulness.  We can not out give God!

It is not always easy and often very hard to follow our Lord.  Look at the lives of the early followers and the Saints and even  the persecution Christians face in other parts of the world.  In America our values are constantly under attack!  Abortion, traditional marriage, couples shacking up, birth control. All these these things have become accepted or as for marriage challenged.

Mom once again thank you for your faithfulness!  Thank you for pouring out your life for us and for your husband!  You have been gone from us for twenty one years now, but I know you are always with us in Spirit.  You told me you would be and my Christian faith teaches me this!

As I've said before you were not one to preach the Gospel that was not who you were but you did the much harder thing you lived it!  You taught us what Real love is!  Thank you and I miss you!  So looking forward to seeing both you and dad in the next life!  Happy Easter!