Tuesday Morning

 

I enjoyed getting up Monday morning and going to see the sunrise before anyone got up.  I think Tuesday morning I had a headache that got me up.  So, I decided to drive down to the beach again.  It was a cloudy day, so I couldn’t see the sunrise.  I was using this downtime to sort out my feelings. 

I guess the reason I was so strong the first few days was because I was numb.  I was just running through the motions of everything going on, and there was not much downtime.  I could also feel the prayers of others.  That was probably the reason I was able to be so strong.

U  Is there someone you can pray for to help carry them through?  U

Jennifer was going to come down Monday.  Joann was not going to be able to be down until Tuesday night, so a lot of decisions had to be made without two of my sisters here.

Tuesday morning, Jim Smith and the associate pastor, Andy Lamon came over to the house to discuss the funeral service.  Again, I did not really know what to expect because this was the first time I had to do this.  The conversations we had were memorable, and at one point I broke down and cried.  The point that I cried was when I talked to them about the gospel being presented at the funeral.  I said, “Mom would want it that way.”  Immediately, I thought about the index card Mom had typed for each of us.  I quietly got up and went into the other room and got the cards.  I was going to wait until all my sisters were here before I gave them their card.  I thought it was appropriate the preachers read the card in hopes they would read it during the funeral.

U  Is there one last way you can honor your loved one by sharing the gospel at their funeral?  U

We reminisced about Mom.  How our friends really enjoyed being at our house as we were growing up.  That Mom would play jokes on preachers who would give her a hard time.  She threw water balloons at them.  Dad told us about Mom being a great swimmer.  I did not know that.  He mentioned about her being a good basketball player.  He told them they met on a blind date.

We told them Mom loved the dollar store and would always have a little toy to give the grandkids when they came down.  We also told them she would send the grandkids letters in the mail with a dollar bill inside and how they would get very excited.

They asked questions about when Mom was saved and her personal growth in the Lord.  Dad said he could really tell a difference in her walk with the Lord when she did, “A Walk to Emmaus.”  It was an intense spiritual weekend that many people can’t even begin to put into words because it is such an amazing experience.   Dad also said the group that went with her would get together, and he could also tell a difference in her when she got back.  They also asked us when Mom did her devotions, and I chuckled.  We told them she did her devotion when she was soaking in the tub.  I remember all the time walking into the bathroom when she was soaking in the tub, and she would be reading her devotion.

We talked about her job as a secretary at the Presbyterian Church for more than twenty-five years, and her dedication to her own church.  We also talked about Mom never complaining about what she was going through or never questioning why.