This is my mother "Pauline," & she was married to James Arthur Murphy who died in April of 1985, and had 3 children, and 3 grand children and 4 great grand children.This woman that walked this earth, was one of the most beautiful, strongest people I have ever known. I would not have chosen any one other than her to be my mother. Her life was hard, but she had a great sense of humor, and a never ending love for her children, and went through great pain and loss, loosing her grand son, & then her own son. I wish her peace & happiness where she is now. I know that I will see her again, I promised her so. That was her only regret, was leaving her children behind. I miss you Momma, I love you with all of my heart. I know that you are proud of Jimmy & me.
THERE WERE A LOT OF BUTTERFLIES SURROUNDING MY MOTHER'S DEATH. WHEN I HAD PICTURES OF THE ORCHID THAT BLOOMED, (story below) THERE WAS A BUTTERFLY THAT LANDED ON MY SHOULDER, AND STAYED THERE FOR HOURS. WHEN I WAS READING MY MOTHER'S EULOGY, A BLACK BUTTERFLY WITH DARK BLUE ON IT'S WINGS FLEW DOWN AND DIPPED ON TOP OF MY HEAD AND FLEW OVER THE CROSS OF 12 ROSES. I DID NOT PICK OUT HER BOOKMARKERS, BUT THEY HAD BUTTERFLIES ON THEM, AND THE FUNERAL HOME'S WEBSITE WHERE HER OBITIUARY WAS HAD BUTTERFLIES ALL OVER IT. THAT YEAR ALL THE WOMEN'S FASHIONS CAME OUT WITH BUTTERFLIES, ON EVERY THING FROM CLOTHES, TO SHOES TO HAND BAGS, PINS, ETC.
Mother was cremated and put in the same grave as her husband, my father James Murphy. That is what she wanted.
Below is a copy of my mother's Eulogy, that I wrote & read at her graveside service.
Mrs. Agnes "Pauline" Meador Murphy
October 26th 1924
July 10th 2004
When I was growing up I use to ask my mother out of the three children, who did she love the most? And of course mother always said "you." It was years later that all three children were talking about that question and found out that she had told them all the same thing! That was mother.
Always making each one of her children feel special. She rocked us all until our feet touched the floor singing, "White Cliffs of Dover," always changing the name of each child to fit in to the song,
and never did she fail to sing Easter Bonnet when her little girl requested it no matter whether it was Easter or not. She loved her kids more than life itself. They were her heart. But her soul belonged to her Lord and Savior.
Her advice to us always when we were growing up was, Every thing happens to us happens for a reason. You have to accept that, & trust in God, for He knows best and go on, and in time you will see that I am right in what I tell you. And she always was!
Mother worked long hard hours standing on her feet most all of her life, but her household chores didn't seem to be a burden to her. I use to love to sit and watch her cooking or washing dishes while she would whistle a tune or hum a song. One day she was washing the dishes and I was sitting on the couch, watching her as she had this far away look on her face.
She turned and looked at me and she said, "You know what?" I said, "What momma?"
She said, "I never had much in my life, but there is one thing that I always wanted that I got." I asked her what was that? Her reply was "A little girl."
What a blessing to have a mother that loved her children the way that she did. I believe that love will carry on until we see her again.
I feel her love with in my heart & soul. Mother, sister, best friend. She was that to all of her children.
The last few years of her life were not easy for her as her health declined slowly. The losses of loved ones were not easy on her. Brother's Arcy, Billy & sister Vernice, but most of all her grandson Bobby. She loved him as if he were her own son. That was a shattered heart I don't think she ever recovered from. But she still had a big enough heart for the others left behind.
Once again her heart was broken by the untimely death of her son Michael last August. She never cried a tear. I had questioned her about that many times and one day she asked me where I thought Michael was. I told her that I had no doubt that he was in a beautiful, peaceful place. She looked at me and she said, " That is why I can't cry."
I know that Michael's life on earth was just to painful for him, and he didn't want to go through any more pain, and the thoughts of loosing mother was so unbearable to him. God took Him so he could be there when she came. He wanted to go and he was ready. He told me a few weeks before he died that he had prayed to God, and that God had told Michael that He would help him. One day he looked at me and smiled a little smile and he said, "It won't be much longer now." I asked him why he said that and he went on as if he never heard me. It was about a week and a half later God took Michael home. God took Michael peacefully in his sleep.
Michael had a beautiful white and purple orchid that bloomed 9 blooms the month before he died, and he was so proud of it. When he died I took it home with me. I put it in the kitchen window above Michael's picture. Just as mother's life was winding down, the orchid started a shoot. There were five pods on it. I told my husband Dave that there were five of us in the family. Daddy, Mother, Jimmy, Michael & I. I said when that fifth bloom opens, mother will die. I told that to two other people. The Friday evening before she left the next morning I looked at the orchid and it had begun to bloom. The day she passed, when I got home I went and looked and it was fully open.
I'd like to think that the orchid blooming as it did was a symbol that Michael and a band of Angels were coming to get mother. And just maybe her other lost ones as well. All welcoming her to heaven. I would love to have seen her face when she saw them all.
When I got back to her house on Friday evening, she reached her arm up around my neck and pulled me down to hug me, frail, and barely able to speak. I asked her if she was going to Heaven, to see Daddy & Michael & Bobby, her mother & father, sister and brothers and all the others she'd loved and lost. She had a slight grin on her face and she whispered in a muffled tone. "IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL." I think mother had already had a peek.
Mother had a wonderful sense of humor and she never met a stranger. Her smile was beautiful.
It was that smile and the power of the Holy Spirit that kept Jimmy & I going this last year taking care of mother. We would be weary and tired but the minute we walked into her room, and she smiled at you, a power took over us to see us through it all. The glorious Holy Spirit gave us the strength. Amen.
Jimmy & I could not have taken care of mother at home if it had not been for the care of the wonderful people at Alive Hospice! Her nurse Jack, and her caregiver Yvonne, and of course Marisa ready and waiting at the phone to get us the help we needed. Of course there is our volunteer Penny. Although she didn't get to be with mother long she was so kind and so helpful with mother to give us a small break. And offer a shoulder or an ear just to listen. And Gloria who did listen!
Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.
That is why Jimmy & I decided to make donations to Alive Hospice. Mother would have wanted to help some one else in need. It was mother's wishes to be cremated and put in the same grave as her husband James. And her love of red roses, It was at mother's request there were to be a dozen red roses placed upon her burial place. And they are here as you see. I have added an additional dozen of red rose petals for every one to come sprinkle a few on her grave if you wish at the end of the service.
Jimmy and I would like to thank Aunt Armilla for keeping watch over mother and keeping her house clean. Thank you to her sister Eunice, for her love visits and pecan pies & chocolate cakes. Thank you Aunt Lee for bringing by some treats and thank you Uncle Gordon, for those early morning visits and the way you gently placed your hand on mother's forehead, and blessed her with a beautiful heart felt prayer.
Brother Thompson came by the house the Thursday before mother died on Saturday and said a prayer for her. He later told me that when he took my mother's hand that he felt such a sweet spirit.
Jimmy & I were scared and worried that mother might have a hard time at the end of this life. I prayed every night for God to grant her an easy death. I would ask him to come and take her gently. God answered our prayers. Mother was coherent up until her last breath. She looked at me and at Jimmy
Averted her eyes at my husband Dave as he walked in to her room, looked back at Jimmy. I told her to let go, let go mother and walk into the light. She seemed to relax look up and she left.
I am so proud of my brother Jimmy for his help in taking care of our mother. He was very gentle and kind with her and did things for her that I know was hard to do, but he found the strength to do it just like I did.
Mother had a kind heart, and although she might not have liked what some one did or said, she never held a grudge, she had a forgiving heart.
And like a poem some of us all know called "Go Down Death." Says
Weep Not, Weep Not.
She is not dead.
She has only just gone Home.
She is resting in the Bosom of Jesus.
AMEN
Written by Sandra Murphy McBride
July 16th 2004
THERE WERE A LOT OF BUTTERFLIES SURROUNDING MY MOTHER'S DEATH. WHEN I HAD PICTURES OF THE ORCHID THAT BLOOMED, (story below) THERE WAS A BUTTERFLY THAT LANDED ON MY SHOULDER, AND STAYED THERE FOR HOURS. WHEN I WAS READING MY MOTHER'S EULOGY, A BLACK BUTTERFLY WITH DARK BLUE ON IT'S WINGS FLEW DOWN AND DIPPED ON TOP OF MY HEAD AND FLEW OVER THE CROSS OF 12 ROSES. I DID NOT PICK OUT HER BOOKMARKERS, BUT THEY HAD BUTTERFLIES ON THEM, AND THE FUNERAL HOME'S WEBSITE WHERE HER OBITIUARY WAS HAD BUTTERFLIES ALL OVER IT. THAT YEAR ALL THE WOMEN'S FASHIONS CAME OUT WITH BUTTERFLIES, ON EVERY THING FROM CLOTHES, TO SHOES TO HAND BAGS, PINS, ETC.
Mother was cremated and put in the same grave as her husband, my father James Murphy. That is what she wanted.
Below is a copy of my mother's Eulogy, that I wrote & read at her graveside service.
Mrs. Agnes "Pauline" Meador Murphy
October 26th 1924
July 10th 2004
When I was growing up I use to ask my mother out of the three children, who did she love the most? And of course mother always said "you." It was years later that all three children were talking about that question and found out that she had told them all the same thing! That was mother.
Always making each one of her children feel special. She rocked us all until our feet touched the floor singing, "White Cliffs of Dover," always changing the name of each child to fit in to the song,
and never did she fail to sing Easter Bonnet when her little girl requested it no matter whether it was Easter or not. She loved her kids more than life itself. They were her heart. But her soul belonged to her Lord and Savior.
Her advice to us always when we were growing up was, Every thing happens to us happens for a reason. You have to accept that, & trust in God, for He knows best and go on, and in time you will see that I am right in what I tell you. And she always was!
Mother worked long hard hours standing on her feet most all of her life, but her household chores didn't seem to be a burden to her. I use to love to sit and watch her cooking or washing dishes while she would whistle a tune or hum a song. One day she was washing the dishes and I was sitting on the couch, watching her as she had this far away look on her face.
She turned and looked at me and she said, "You know what?" I said, "What momma?"
She said, "I never had much in my life, but there is one thing that I always wanted that I got." I asked her what was that? Her reply was "A little girl."
What a blessing to have a mother that loved her children the way that she did. I believe that love will carry on until we see her again.
I feel her love with in my heart & soul. Mother, sister, best friend. She was that to all of her children.
The last few years of her life were not easy for her as her health declined slowly. The losses of loved ones were not easy on her. Brother's Arcy, Billy & sister Vernice, but most of all her grandson Bobby. She loved him as if he were her own son. That was a shattered heart I don't think she ever recovered from. But she still had a big enough heart for the others left behind.
Once again her heart was broken by the untimely death of her son Michael last August. She never cried a tear. I had questioned her about that many times and one day she asked me where I thought Michael was. I told her that I had no doubt that he was in a beautiful, peaceful place. She looked at me and she said, " That is why I can't cry."
I know that Michael's life on earth was just to painful for him, and he didn't want to go through any more pain, and the thoughts of loosing mother was so unbearable to him. God took Him so he could be there when she came. He wanted to go and he was ready. He told me a few weeks before he died that he had prayed to God, and that God had told Michael that He would help him. One day he looked at me and smiled a little smile and he said, "It won't be much longer now." I asked him why he said that and he went on as if he never heard me. It was about a week and a half later God took Michael home. God took Michael peacefully in his sleep.
Michael had a beautiful white and purple orchid that bloomed 9 blooms the month before he died, and he was so proud of it. When he died I took it home with me. I put it in the kitchen window above Michael's picture. Just as mother's life was winding down, the orchid started a shoot. There were five pods on it. I told my husband Dave that there were five of us in the family. Daddy, Mother, Jimmy, Michael & I. I said when that fifth bloom opens, mother will die. I told that to two other people. The Friday evening before she left the next morning I looked at the orchid and it had begun to bloom. The day she passed, when I got home I went and looked and it was fully open.
I'd like to think that the orchid blooming as it did was a symbol that Michael and a band of Angels were coming to get mother. And just maybe her other lost ones as well. All welcoming her to heaven. I would love to have seen her face when she saw them all.
When I got back to her house on Friday evening, she reached her arm up around my neck and pulled me down to hug me, frail, and barely able to speak. I asked her if she was going to Heaven, to see Daddy & Michael & Bobby, her mother & father, sister and brothers and all the others she'd loved and lost. She had a slight grin on her face and she whispered in a muffled tone. "IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL." I think mother had already had a peek.
Mother had a wonderful sense of humor and she never met a stranger. Her smile was beautiful.
It was that smile and the power of the Holy Spirit that kept Jimmy & I going this last year taking care of mother. We would be weary and tired but the minute we walked into her room, and she smiled at you, a power took over us to see us through it all. The glorious Holy Spirit gave us the strength. Amen.
Jimmy & I could not have taken care of mother at home if it had not been for the care of the wonderful people at Alive Hospice! Her nurse Jack, and her caregiver Yvonne, and of course Marisa ready and waiting at the phone to get us the help we needed. Of course there is our volunteer Penny. Although she didn't get to be with mother long she was so kind and so helpful with mother to give us a small break. And offer a shoulder or an ear just to listen. And Gloria who did listen!
Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.
That is why Jimmy & I decided to make donations to Alive Hospice. Mother would have wanted to help some one else in need. It was mother's wishes to be cremated and put in the same grave as her husband James. And her love of red roses, It was at mother's request there were to be a dozen red roses placed upon her burial place. And they are here as you see. I have added an additional dozen of red rose petals for every one to come sprinkle a few on her grave if you wish at the end of the service.
Jimmy and I would like to thank Aunt Armilla for keeping watch over mother and keeping her house clean. Thank you to her sister Eunice, for her love visits and pecan pies & chocolate cakes. Thank you Aunt Lee for bringing by some treats and thank you Uncle Gordon, for those early morning visits and the way you gently placed your hand on mother's forehead, and blessed her with a beautiful heart felt prayer.
Brother Thompson came by the house the Thursday before mother died on Saturday and said a prayer for her. He later told me that when he took my mother's hand that he felt such a sweet spirit.
Jimmy & I were scared and worried that mother might have a hard time at the end of this life. I prayed every night for God to grant her an easy death. I would ask him to come and take her gently. God answered our prayers. Mother was coherent up until her last breath. She looked at me and at Jimmy
Averted her eyes at my husband Dave as he walked in to her room, looked back at Jimmy. I told her to let go, let go mother and walk into the light. She seemed to relax look up and she left.
I am so proud of my brother Jimmy for his help in taking care of our mother. He was very gentle and kind with her and did things for her that I know was hard to do, but he found the strength to do it just like I did.
Mother had a kind heart, and although she might not have liked what some one did or said, she never held a grudge, she had a forgiving heart.
And like a poem some of us all know called "Go Down Death." Says
Weep Not, Weep Not.
She is not dead.
She has only just gone Home.
She is resting in the Bosom of Jesus.
AMEN
Written by Sandra Murphy McBride
July 16th 2004
This is my mother "Pauline," & she was married to James Arthur Murphy who died in April of 1985, and had 3 children, and 3 grand children and 4 great grand children.This woman that walked this earth, was one of the most beautiful, strongest people I have ever known. I would not have chosen any one other than her to be my mother. Her life was hard, but she had a great sense of humor, and a never ending love for her children, and went through great pain and loss, loosing her grand son, & then her own son. I wish her peace & happiness where she is now. I know that I will see her again, I promised her so. That was her only regret, was leaving her children behind. I miss you Momma, I love you with all of my heart. I know that you are proud of Jimmy & me.
THERE WERE A LOT OF BUTTERFLIES SURROUNDING MY MOTHER'S DEATH. WHEN I HAD PICTURES OF THE ORCHID THAT BLOOMED, (story below) THERE WAS A BUTTERFLY THAT LANDED ON MY SHOULDER, AND STAYED THERE FOR HOURS. WHEN I WAS READING MY MOTHER'S EULOGY, A BLACK BUTTERFLY WITH DARK BLUE ON IT'S WINGS FLEW DOWN AND DIPPED ON TOP OF MY HEAD AND FLEW OVER THE CROSS OF 12 ROSES. I DID NOT PICK OUT HER BOOKMARKERS, BUT THEY HAD BUTTERFLIES ON THEM, AND THE FUNERAL HOME'S WEBSITE WHERE HER OBITIUARY WAS HAD BUTTERFLIES ALL OVER IT. THAT YEAR ALL THE WOMEN'S FASHIONS CAME OUT WITH BUTTERFLIES, ON EVERY THING FROM CLOTHES, TO SHOES TO HAND BAGS, PINS, ETC.
Mother was cremated and put in the same grave as her husband, my father James Murphy. That is what she wanted.
Below is a copy of my mother's Eulogy, that I wrote & read at her graveside service.
Mrs. Agnes "Pauline" Meador Murphy
October 26th 1924
July 10th 2004
When I was growing up I use to ask my mother out of the three children, who did she love the most? And of course mother always said "you." It was years later that all three children were talking about that question and found out that she had told them all the same thing! That was mother.
Always making each one of her children feel special. She rocked us all until our feet touched the floor singing, "White Cliffs of Dover," always changing the name of each child to fit in to the song,
and never did she fail to sing Easter Bonnet when her little girl requested it no matter whether it was Easter or not. She loved her kids more than life itself. They were her heart. But her soul belonged to her Lord and Savior.
Her advice to us always when we were growing up was, Every thing happens to us happens for a reason. You have to accept that, & trust in God, for He knows best and go on, and in time you will see that I am right in what I tell you. And she always was!
Mother worked long hard hours standing on her feet most all of her life, but her household chores didn't seem to be a burden to her. I use to love to sit and watch her cooking or washing dishes while she would whistle a tune or hum a song. One day she was washing the dishes and I was sitting on the couch, watching her as she had this far away look on her face.
She turned and looked at me and she said, "You know what?" I said, "What momma?"
She said, "I never had much in my life, but there is one thing that I always wanted that I got." I asked her what was that? Her reply was "A little girl."
What a blessing to have a mother that loved her children the way that she did. I believe that love will carry on until we see her again.
I feel her love with in my heart & soul. Mother, sister, best friend. She was that to all of her children.
The last few years of her life were not easy for her as her health declined slowly. The losses of loved ones were not easy on her. Brother's Arcy, Billy & sister Vernice, but most of all her grandson Bobby. She loved him as if he were her own son. That was a shattered heart I don't think she ever recovered from. But she still had a big enough heart for the others left behind.
Once again her heart was broken by the untimely death of her son Michael last August. She never cried a tear. I had questioned her about that many times and one day she asked me where I thought Michael was. I told her that I had no doubt that he was in a beautiful, peaceful place. She looked at me and she said, " That is why I can't cry."
I know that Michael's life on earth was just to painful for him, and he didn't want to go through any more pain, and the thoughts of loosing mother was so unbearable to him. God took Him so he could be there when she came. He wanted to go and he was ready. He told me a few weeks before he died that he had prayed to God, and that God had told Michael that He would help him. One day he looked at me and smiled a little smile and he said, "It won't be much longer now." I asked him why he said that and he went on as if he never heard me. It was about a week and a half later God took Michael home. God took Michael peacefully in his sleep.
Michael had a beautiful white and purple orchid that bloomed 9 blooms the month before he died, and he was so proud of it. When he died I took it home with me. I put it in the kitchen window above Michael's picture. Just as mother's life was winding down, the orchid started a shoot. There were five pods on it. I told my husband Dave that there were five of us in the family. Daddy, Mother, Jimmy, Michael & I. I said when that fifth bloom opens, mother will die. I told that to two other people. The Friday evening before she left the next morning I looked at the orchid and it had begun to bloom. The day she passed, when I got home I went and looked and it was fully open.
I'd like to think that the orchid blooming as it did was a symbol that Michael and a band of Angels were coming to get mother. And just maybe her other lost ones as well. All welcoming her to heaven. I would love to have seen her face when she saw them all.
When I got back to her house on Friday evening, she reached her arm up around my neck and pulled me down to hug me, frail, and barely able to speak. I asked her if she was going to Heaven, to see Daddy & Michael & Bobby, her mother & father, sister and brothers and all the others she'd loved and lost. She had a slight grin on her face and she whispered in a muffled tone. "IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL." I think mother had already had a peek.
Mother had a wonderful sense of humor and she never met a stranger. Her smile was beautiful.
It was that smile and the power of the Holy Spirit that kept Jimmy & I going this last year taking care of mother. We would be weary and tired but the minute we walked into her room, and she smiled at you, a power took over us to see us through it all. The glorious Holy Spirit gave us the strength. Amen.
Jimmy & I could not have taken care of mother at home if it had not been for the care of the wonderful people at Alive Hospice! Her nurse Jack, and her caregiver Yvonne, and of course Marisa ready and waiting at the phone to get us the help we needed. Of course there is our volunteer Penny. Although she didn't get to be with mother long she was so kind and so helpful with mother to give us a small break. And offer a shoulder or an ear just to listen. And Gloria who did listen!
Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.
That is why Jimmy & I decided to make donations to Alive Hospice. Mother would have wanted to help some one else in need. It was mother's wishes to be cremated and put in the same grave as her husband James. And her love of red roses, It was at mother's request there were to be a dozen red roses placed upon her burial place. And they are here as you see. I have added an additional dozen of red rose petals for every one to come sprinkle a few on her grave if you wish at the end of the service.
Jimmy and I would like to thank Aunt Armilla for keeping watch over mother and keeping her house clean. Thank you to her sister Eunice, for her love visits and pecan pies & chocolate cakes. Thank you Aunt Lee for bringing by some treats and thank you Uncle Gordon, for those early morning visits and the way you gently placed your hand on mother's forehead, and blessed her with a beautiful heart felt prayer.
Brother Thompson came by the house the Thursday before mother died on Saturday and said a prayer for her. He later told me that when he took my mother's hand that he felt such a sweet spirit.
Jimmy & I were scared and worried that mother might have a hard time at the end of this life. I prayed every night for God to grant her an easy death. I would ask him to come and take her gently. God answered our prayers. Mother was coherent up until her last breath. She looked at me and at Jimmy
Averted her eyes at my husband Dave as he walked in to her room, looked back at Jimmy. I told her to let go, let go mother and walk into the light. She seemed to relax look up and she left.
I am so proud of my brother Jimmy for his help in taking care of our mother. He was very gentle and kind with her and did things for her that I know was hard to do, but he found the strength to do it just like I did.
Mother had a kind heart, and although she might not have liked what some one did or said, she never held a grudge, she had a forgiving heart.
And like a poem some of us all know called "Go Down Death." Says
Weep Not, Weep Not.
She is not dead.
She has only just gone Home.
She is resting in the Bosom of Jesus.
AMEN
Written by Sandra Murphy McBride
July 16th 2004
THERE WERE A LOT OF BUTTERFLIES SURROUNDING MY MOTHER'S DEATH. WHEN I HAD PICTURES OF THE ORCHID THAT BLOOMED, (story below) THERE WAS A BUTTERFLY THAT LANDED ON MY SHOULDER, AND STAYED THERE FOR HOURS. WHEN I WAS READING MY MOTHER'S EULOGY, A BLACK BUTTERFLY WITH DARK BLUE ON IT'S WINGS FLEW DOWN AND DIPPED ON TOP OF MY HEAD AND FLEW OVER THE CROSS OF 12 ROSES. I DID NOT PICK OUT HER BOOKMARKERS, BUT THEY HAD BUTTERFLIES ON THEM, AND THE FUNERAL HOME'S WEBSITE WHERE HER OBITIUARY WAS HAD BUTTERFLIES ALL OVER IT. THAT YEAR ALL THE WOMEN'S FASHIONS CAME OUT WITH BUTTERFLIES, ON EVERY THING FROM CLOTHES, TO SHOES TO HAND BAGS, PINS, ETC.
Mother was cremated and put in the same grave as her husband, my father James Murphy. That is what she wanted.
Below is a copy of my mother's Eulogy, that I wrote & read at her graveside service.
Mrs. Agnes "Pauline" Meador Murphy
October 26th 1924
July 10th 2004
When I was growing up I use to ask my mother out of the three children, who did she love the most? And of course mother always said "you." It was years later that all three children were talking about that question and found out that she had told them all the same thing! That was mother.
Always making each one of her children feel special. She rocked us all until our feet touched the floor singing, "White Cliffs of Dover," always changing the name of each child to fit in to the song,
and never did she fail to sing Easter Bonnet when her little girl requested it no matter whether it was Easter or not. She loved her kids more than life itself. They were her heart. But her soul belonged to her Lord and Savior.
Her advice to us always when we were growing up was, Every thing happens to us happens for a reason. You have to accept that, & trust in God, for He knows best and go on, and in time you will see that I am right in what I tell you. And she always was!
Mother worked long hard hours standing on her feet most all of her life, but her household chores didn't seem to be a burden to her. I use to love to sit and watch her cooking or washing dishes while she would whistle a tune or hum a song. One day she was washing the dishes and I was sitting on the couch, watching her as she had this far away look on her face.
She turned and looked at me and she said, "You know what?" I said, "What momma?"
She said, "I never had much in my life, but there is one thing that I always wanted that I got." I asked her what was that? Her reply was "A little girl."
What a blessing to have a mother that loved her children the way that she did. I believe that love will carry on until we see her again.
I feel her love with in my heart & soul. Mother, sister, best friend. She was that to all of her children.
The last few years of her life were not easy for her as her health declined slowly. The losses of loved ones were not easy on her. Brother's Arcy, Billy & sister Vernice, but most of all her grandson Bobby. She loved him as if he were her own son. That was a shattered heart I don't think she ever recovered from. But she still had a big enough heart for the others left behind.
Once again her heart was broken by the untimely death of her son Michael last August. She never cried a tear. I had questioned her about that many times and one day she asked me where I thought Michael was. I told her that I had no doubt that he was in a beautiful, peaceful place. She looked at me and she said, " That is why I can't cry."
I know that Michael's life on earth was just to painful for him, and he didn't want to go through any more pain, and the thoughts of loosing mother was so unbearable to him. God took Him so he could be there when she came. He wanted to go and he was ready. He told me a few weeks before he died that he had prayed to God, and that God had told Michael that He would help him. One day he looked at me and smiled a little smile and he said, "It won't be much longer now." I asked him why he said that and he went on as if he never heard me. It was about a week and a half later God took Michael home. God took Michael peacefully in his sleep.
Michael had a beautiful white and purple orchid that bloomed 9 blooms the month before he died, and he was so proud of it. When he died I took it home with me. I put it in the kitchen window above Michael's picture. Just as mother's life was winding down, the orchid started a shoot. There were five pods on it. I told my husband Dave that there were five of us in the family. Daddy, Mother, Jimmy, Michael & I. I said when that fifth bloom opens, mother will die. I told that to two other people. The Friday evening before she left the next morning I looked at the orchid and it had begun to bloom. The day she passed, when I got home I went and looked and it was fully open.
I'd like to think that the orchid blooming as it did was a symbol that Michael and a band of Angels were coming to get mother. And just maybe her other lost ones as well. All welcoming her to heaven. I would love to have seen her face when she saw them all.
When I got back to her house on Friday evening, she reached her arm up around my neck and pulled me down to hug me, frail, and barely able to speak. I asked her if she was going to Heaven, to see Daddy & Michael & Bobby, her mother & father, sister and brothers and all the others she'd loved and lost. She had a slight grin on her face and she whispered in a muffled tone. "IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL." I think mother had already had a peek.
Mother had a wonderful sense of humor and she never met a stranger. Her smile was beautiful.
It was that smile and the power of the Holy Spirit that kept Jimmy & I going this last year taking care of mother. We would be weary and tired but the minute we walked into her room, and she smiled at you, a power took over us to see us through it all. The glorious Holy Spirit gave us the strength. Amen.
Jimmy & I could not have taken care of mother at home if it had not been for the care of the wonderful people at Alive Hospice! Her nurse Jack, and her caregiver Yvonne, and of course Marisa ready and waiting at the phone to get us the help we needed. Of course there is our volunteer Penny. Although she didn't get to be with mother long she was so kind and so helpful with mother to give us a small break. And offer a shoulder or an ear just to listen. And Gloria who did listen!
Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.
That is why Jimmy & I decided to make donations to Alive Hospice. Mother would have wanted to help some one else in need. It was mother's wishes to be cremated and put in the same grave as her husband James. And her love of red roses, It was at mother's request there were to be a dozen red roses placed upon her burial place. And they are here as you see. I have added an additional dozen of red rose petals for every one to come sprinkle a few on her grave if you wish at the end of the service.
Jimmy and I would like to thank Aunt Armilla for keeping watch over mother and keeping her house clean. Thank you to her sister Eunice, for her love visits and pecan pies & chocolate cakes. Thank you Aunt Lee for bringing by some treats and thank you Uncle Gordon, for those early morning visits and the way you gently placed your hand on mother's forehead, and blessed her with a beautiful heart felt prayer.
Brother Thompson came by the house the Thursday before mother died on Saturday and said a prayer for her. He later told me that when he took my mother's hand that he felt such a sweet spirit.
Jimmy & I were scared and worried that mother might have a hard time at the end of this life. I prayed every night for God to grant her an easy death. I would ask him to come and take her gently. God answered our prayers. Mother was coherent up until her last breath. She looked at me and at Jimmy
Averted her eyes at my husband Dave as he walked in to her room, looked back at Jimmy. I told her to let go, let go mother and walk into the light. She seemed to relax look up and she left.
I am so proud of my brother Jimmy for his help in taking care of our mother. He was very gentle and kind with her and did things for her that I know was hard to do, but he found the strength to do it just like I did.
Mother had a kind heart, and although she might not have liked what some one did or said, she never held a grudge, she had a forgiving heart.
And like a poem some of us all know called "Go Down Death." Says
Weep Not, Weep Not.
She is not dead.
She has only just gone Home.
She is resting in the Bosom of Jesus.
AMEN
Written by Sandra Murphy McBride
July 16th 2004
