The next few days will be quiet around Storywraps as my mother passed away December 30th, the day before New Year's Eve. My sister and I are making arrangements for her funeral which I will focusing on for the next little while.
Mom was 93 and up until the last little while was in fairly good health. She was a woman of great feistiness (in the best sense of the word), very witty, humorous, super creative and had such a loving, giving heart. She was always opening her door to people in her community who had no place to have Christmas dinner, knitting and sewing for those less fortunate, baking when others gave birth to a brand new baby or if someone died was usually the first to send over food and augment the churches needs with donations and clothes drives. At summer Vacation Bible School she was a security guard in her 80's! When I taught kindergarten in my hometown she would knit all summer to make up slippers, mittens, scarves and a warm hat for each child in my class to wear in the cold winter weather. I included those precious items in their welcome to school bags every September.
Although we grew up with very little she always was the first to give to the downtrodden or downhearted and share whatever we had. She loved to sing and dance along with my dad and we had a very musical home. My dad played in a band and towards the end of his life they would go to the local nursing homes and sing for the residents there. They were well known and greatly loved by the members of their small town.
My dad, being kind of burly, was always asked to be the town Santa Claus. On my last visit with mom I told her the story of how as a little girl I would look out our kitchen window as Santa arrived around 9:00 o'clock to pick her up to take her to a dance gig he and his band had on Christmas Eve. Santa Dad had previously been giving out candy to all the town kids in the local Orange Hall after a family night of movies. Mom would playfully tug at his beard and kiss him under the mistletoe. I sang to her that song that we would sing... "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," while she lay quietly in her bed, and told her how her three little girls would be hiding behind the sofa giggling and laughing because there was our mommy doing just that. Although her eyes were closed as she lay very still there, a huge smile came across her face and she actually rose up and laughed right out loud. She kind of startled me... she must have connected to that blessed memory, obviously a very happy time in her life. I had the best last visit ever with her. It was God ordained from the beginning to end for sure. We got a chance to hug and kiss and tell each other we loved each other and she knew exactly who I was... her baby girl. It was truly meant to be and will be tucked in my heart for eternity.
Her funeral is on Tuesday, January 5th and I am sure a huge crowd will attend. I am not really sad but happy she is now at peace and in heaven where she has wanted to go for a quite a few years. She will be reunited with my dad who will dance her all around her heaven and be with her other beloved family members once again. I am sure a party was awaiting her and music and singing (our family style) prevailed probably going on for a thousand years or more as there as time does not exist there. Rest in peace my sweet, sweet mommy...you will be truly missed and I will love you forever and forever, amen.
Unwrapping some New Year thoughts...
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