I have said it repeatedly, but I continue to be overwhelmed by the flood of support we have received in my Mom’s passing. Between facebook, twitter, text, emails, phone calls and voice mails, the response has just been amazing. It is a testimony to my Mom. One thing that has been an anchor for us are the stories of her legacy. Things like:
“I can honestly say that my husband and I wouldn’t be together today without the loving example and time that your mom took with us.”
“Your mom took me under her wing when I moved to Cleveland for grad school – I always appreciated her having me over to your house.”
“When Bryan and I moved to Cleveland she just welcomed us as part of your family. We were so far from home and had no real family but she made us apart of yours and I am very grateful.”
“Your mom was an inspiration to me during my years of being in Bible study with her. She was so encouraging and Godly. Those were treasured times those Thursday morning Bible Studies with the ladies. They shaped me.”
“Your mom is a truly inspiring woman with a heart full of Christ’s love to share with others. She is a treasure.”
“I can’t stop thinking of all the angles she has made over the years, thinking that she will be rejoicing when she has lived her life to be…with Jesus”
“So thankful that we will all get to enjoy her smile (and maybe some lemonade on the porch) again one day”
“She holds a special place in my heart and in my family’s as well. So many chats on the front porch come to mind with lemonade and Penny as well!”
Friends I could go on and on with the notes we have received. This is just a small sample of the memories and legacy my Mom leaves. There is so much there for each one of us. If you knew her or not, you can see the impact we can have when we care about and for others. I included the last two comments because there was something so special about the front porch of the home I grew up in. It was my Moms “office” and where she healed broken hearts (including mine more than once), mended relationships, listened to hurts, extended grace, taught faith and shared some lemonade. Even the mailman got his fill of homemade lemonade on a hot day. That’s just who she was. She knew no stranger and always had an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on.
I’m obviously working through the healing process in one of the ways I know how and that is to write. If you can bear with me, I guess my point is that we all have an “office”. They don’t make houses like they used to – with front porches, but most of us have a deck on the back of the house. Coffee shops are places where we can meet. Ballgames, picnic’s and even the church foyer are places where we can mean it when we say “I’ll be praying for you”. My Mom had no formal degree in counseling, she just had a heart full of Jesus and a passion to share it.
We all can too.
