Losing a mother

I’m not really sure how to write this post. Last Wednesday we lost such a special person in our family. My husband’s sweet mom passed away. Two years ago we got the news that she had stage four colon cancer, and she put up quite a fight in those two years, but it was time for us to let her go.

Let me tell you a little bit about her. She LOVED life. There are very few people I’ve met who were as filled with joy as she was. She LOVED people. She was the outgoing, life-of-the-party sort of person. A person who stayed up until two in the morning playing games with her grandkids.

1957 ~ husband’s parents

Sunday nights were family night and almost everyone in the family came to her and Grandpa’s house for lots of laughs, and games, and food. She was an AMAZING cook, and she really enjoyed it. You felt the love in her cooking. She was all about FAMILY. She had six children, 21 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren (one was born last week on the day of the viewing). She was 72 years old, and hubs was the baby of the family. She got married when she was 17, had her first baby at 18, and served her family ever since. The last few months spent with her were very precious to us, knowing that our time with her was limited.

We will miss her so incredibly much. Life doesn’t seem the same knowing she’s not here with us. But after much suffering, she is now enjoying a new, pain-free body and eternity with her Saviour. Even though there is joy in knowing she is in a much better place, we still long to see her again and our hearts are heavy with the loss. As evidenced by the over 600 people who attended her viewing and funeral, she was much-loved and respected. It was amazing how many people she touched in her lifetime. Husband’s family is large and so supportive of one another. It’s been wonderful to grow closer with one another through this difficult time.

We’ve had so much support from friends and family over the past week, and I can’t thank them enough. Our fridge is stocked with food like pumpkin pie and chili and homemade bread. Last week my sister-in-law stopped by with a half gallon of Lapp Valley chocolate milk for me and a bottle of wine for husband. She knows us way too well. It was perfect.

Life will go on, and we have so many good memories to keep in our hearts. We will see her again one day. Our faith has grown stronger, our relationships with family has grown deeper, and God is still good.