Monday, July 26, 2010

When someone you love becomes a memory, your memory becomes a treasure - Author Unknown

Friday, July 23, 2010

A Tribute to a Great Lady

After a few months of a break from blogging, I'm ready to write again.  I didn't necessarily need a break from my blog, I've just  been on an emotional roller coaster since the middle of May and couldn't seem to collect my thoughts. 

My husband made an emergency trip out to see his mother in the middle of May.  She was very sick, but was refusing to go to the hospital.  My hubby made her go to the hospital and she was immediately admitted.  It turned out that she had a severe urinary tract infection that had been let go so long that it infected her blood.  One thing led to another and she ended up having an emergency surgery to close up a hole in her colon.  After the surgery, she started bleeding internally and it went downhill from there.  She was diagnosed with congestive heart failure a few years ago, so the doctor was concerned that her heart would not be able to handle all of the stress.  Sure enough, it didn't.  Thankfully, we were able to make it to Odessa in time for my husband to say goodbye.  On June 5th, she died within thirty minutes of his arrival.  It happened so fast, that our heads were left spinning.  Anyway, I wanted to share my thanks with all of my friends and family that were praying for us.  She was a great lady.  It would take quite a while to write about how much she inspired me and helped me over the past 16 years.  I will save that for another time. 

In all that happened, I am so thankful that we have wonderful, supportive church families. Pastor McLaughlin and Pastor Harris were right there for us over that very difficult week. I honestly don't see how people are able to function without a pastor and church family who cares for them. We are very blessed.

God has been good to us as we deal with our grief. Will we ever get over it? No.  From experience with losing my own mother, we never get over it, nor should we. But we do learn to deal with it.  God has comforted us and while we miss her so much it hurts, we know that if we live the way God wants and requests of us, we will see her again one day. 

A few days after she died, an old song came to mind that I believe God gave me.  I can just picture Mimi shouting up there because she's made it, and there's no pain or suffering for her any longer.  That old song that came to mind is "Shouting on the Hills of Glory".  So, Mimi, you keep shouting on those hills and we will see you when God calls us home too!

There'll be shouting on the hills of glory
Shouting on the hills, shouting on the hills
When we reach that land of which we've heard the story
There'll be shouting on the hills of God.