We drove through the night (Thursday night). We got to Messiah College to drop Liz off, and we had traveled 10+ hours, normally a 7.5 hour drive, but we hit snow, lots of it from NY through just outside Harrisburg. We were beat, but Rachel drove then I did, and Lucie drove the last 3 hours and we got in around 4AM on Friday. I just wanted to not have to deal with traffic after all the snow and was afraid that the snow would delay us in the AM.
Here is the eulogy, at least in part, I really didn't read this word for word, there are parts I added / deleted, but you get a general idea. Thanks again for all your kind words and prayers. I felt surrounded by God's love the entire week.
Good morning. Welcome to a celebration of my mom’s life. Eulogies can be sad and emotional, I’m going to try to be respectful, but somehow if I say something stupid, I can imagine Mom saying “niaiseux!" or “Bonasse” or “pauvre imbecile". What is heaven like? It is written,”Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9)
Revelation 21:4 (King James Version)
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Revelations 21 which describes heaven? I picture her smiling and wide-eyed looking at the beauty of Heaven. Here's a portion of it:
12-14
The City shimmered like a precious gem, light-filled, pulsing light. ...
15-20
…The wall was jasper, the color of Glory, and the City was pure gold, translucent as glass. The foundations of the City walls were garnished with every precious gem imaginable: the first foundation jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate a single pearl.
21-27
The main street of the City was pure gold, translucent as glass. But there was no sign of a Temple, for the Lord God—the Sovereign-Strong—and the Lamb are the Temple. The City doesn't need sun or moon for light. God's Glory is its light, the Lamb its lamp! The nations will walk in its light and earth's kings bring in their splendor. Its gates will never be shut by day, and there won't be any night. They'll bring the glory and honor of the nations into the City. Nothing dirty or defiled will get into the City, and no one who defiles or deceives. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life will get in.
Mom loved to collect rocks, I can just see her tucking one of the stones away in a pocket!
I asked my siblings if they had thoughts to share about Mom. My sister Jeanne writes: “20 years ago Mom told me she’d never seen a baby born. She’d labored seven times and they “put me to sleep” for the actual birth. I asked her if she would be with me when Katelyn was born. She cried. She and Dad came home early from Florida to be here. I was scared but somehow it was better with Mom here … everything was always easier with her by my side.”
We are here to celebrate Mom’s new life; you know we’ve gotten such an outpouring of well wishes and sympathy for losing Mom. If we look at it selfishly, we weep, we mourn, we grieve, but when we think of what she endured these past months and how now she is at peace we MUST rejoice. We all have a birth date, and like the old saying about counting on death and taxes, we have a date where we check out. What's interesting about that is they usually separate the two with a "DASH" "-". That dash represents your life, and the dash is all that matters.
This past week, like last year, we’ve spent quality, laughter filled times. It may seem to an outsider a bit irreverent, but had Mom been there as the Mom we remember, she would have been belly-laughing with us. I was also told I couldn’t make fun of my family … there goes all my best material.
Mom loved LIFE. Life as I would describe it was not one lived alone; it was surrounded by family, extended family, church family and friends. Dad would bring home someone for supper, and nobody batted an eye. Mom took it in stride (at least in front of us, you’ll have to ask Dad if he ever got an ear full behind closed doors). People always felt welcome, because at our house they WERE welcomed.
One of Mom’s sayings was, “If you are allergic to dust, best you stay away, otherwise come on in …” Mom first and foremost was a servant … getting out her fancy dishes and putting snacks in them, making sure everyone had something to drink, and no meal was complete without some dessert.
Mom wasn’t perfect! Especially if you were NOT a morning person. It seems as we polled each other her songs changed over the years, but I remember the Debbie Reynolds ditty, “Good morning, good morning …” man, luckily for her I didn’t do much more than pull my sheets over my head.
The song and smile was often followed by “Did you offer your day to God today?” “Think of all those people who couldn’t get out of their beds today?” All I could think of was did she have to be so flippin’ chipper in the morning
Mom wore rose colored glasses … I don’t mean literally, but figuratively. She chose optimism over pessimism, these last few months, it was hard to see her struggle. I’m so relieved that now, I can imagine her pain free, clear minded, no more suffering and being in the presence of her Lord and King. Mom is happy. We should be happy. My sister Claire said it best when she said, “She’s Free at Last”.
We always want to do what’s right at these times, being respectful (for some of us it’s easier than others) (I’m trying real hard not to be a wise guy, but I don’t want to be so good, that Mom wouldn’t recognize me). I have known my Mom to lose it, I’m not talking about a fit of rage, I’m talking about a fit of laughter. Like the time in church where I tugged her sleeve and asked if the priest had been drinking … or like the time her 80 year old mother, Mémère Tremblay fell down the steps … I can still see my Mom not able to finish that story, ”le fou rire” would catch her and you couldn’t help but laugh along.
Mom was good, but it’s not her goodness that got her to heaven, it’s heaven that got her to goodness. She knew she needed Jesus. She understood that his stripes and shed blood paid the way for her. It’s not her suffering that got her into heaven. She knew that Jesus paid the price. She understood that He made the way. She is in His presence because she got it. She needed Jesus, and He took her just as she was! To please Him, to please God, she used her gifts to the best of her abilities. Yes Mom was good. Goodness isn’t what gets you to heaven. Jesus is what gets you to heaven. She said yes, I will serve You. You will be my Lord, my God. When you call someone Lord, He’s the boss. He’s the master. My Mom knew how to serve and she modeled her life on Jesus and his followers, the saints. She wasn’t perfect, only God is perfect, but she got it. She understood, it’s not about me, it’s about Jesus, and it’s about others.
Jesus is “the way the truth and the light”. If we took out the East Mason Street Bridge and had us all line up to jump across to the east side none of us could make it. However, the cross of Christ becomes our bridge. It is a straight and narrow way, and sometime we start to slip and He’s there to pull us back up. None of us could make it to the other side on our own power. We need a Savior. Mom did too, she asked Him in … and she made it to heaven by what He did, not what she did.
There is no reason anyone here cannot join Mom someday. There is NO EXCUSE. Do what she did, make Jesus Lord. You may never be able to be as good as Mom, and do all the things she did cheerfully, but that’s not what we have to do to get to heaven. It is a gift that no one can earn, and like any other gift you can’t walk away with it unless you reach out and accept it. Mom got it, she got that Jesus needed to be her Lord and Master. She served him the best way she knew how. We’re all different, don’t wait until you clean up your act, that’s an excuse and it won’t happen. Jesus takes you just as you are, warts and all.
I look forward to the day, I look forward to the moment, when like Mom, in a twinkling of an eye I will see Him face to face. There’s an old gospel hymn “Far side bank of Jordan”: that says
I believe my steps are growing wearier each day
Still I have a journey on my mind.
Hurts of this old world have ceased to make me want to stay
But my one regret is leaving you behind.
Now if it proves to be his will that I am first to go
Somehow I have a feeling it may be
When it comes your time to travel likewise don't you feel lost
For I will be the first one that you see.
(Chorus)
And I’ll be waiting on the far side bank of Jordan
I’ll be waiting drawing pictures in the sand
And when I see you coming I will rise up with a shout
And come running through the shallow waters reaching for your hand.
Now through this life we've labored hard to earn our meager share
It's brought us trembling hands and tear-dimmed eyes.
But I'll just wait here on the shore and turn my face away
Until you come and we'll see paradise
Let’s pray …
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