Ecclesiastes 3:1 "To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven".
Hello dear friends. To everything there is a season and my family and I are currently in a season of grieving, hence the lengthy silence from this blog.
It is with great sadness I want to let you all know of the passing on of my mother in law, Joan, for whom many of you have been praying faithfully. She passed on a week ago last Sunday and was buried on Friday 8th June.
As tradition demands, the family hosted 9 nights of prayer for her soul and the house was full of relatives and friends who stayed on to share a meal, talk and reminisce, which made for some hectic days and long evenings.
The funeral service was beautiful and the packed church gave testimony to how well beloved Joan was to so many. There is no greater tribute that can be given to a person than by how he or she was loved by all. The grandchildren did a eulogy by collating all their thoughts which was heart-wrenchingly beautiful and brought everyone to tears.
I previously wrote about Joan's Legacy, but this eulogy put my own thoughts to shame. I'll just share the basics with you. She had eleven grandchildren, 6 girls and 5 boys.
The girls shared that Gramma taught them that beauty on the outside means nothing if there is no beauty on the inside and the difference between loving and cherishing. They shared that Gramma was always a light to them and a pillar of strength, that she believed in their dreams and encouraged them and was always there when they needed her. They remember her ability to light up a room with her presence and how her smiles and laughter filled them with joy and how she always stood for truth. The youngest, my own five year old, simply remembers that Gramma "loved her plenty, plenty".
The boys shared that she was the heart of the family who kept us united, who pushed them to excel, taught them the difference between friends and acquaintances and cared enough to give endless lectures.
For my own part, I have been very fortunate to have a mother in law who did not resent me or my relationship with my husband as so many do and did not view me as a threat in any way. There was, of course, a period of adjustment in my early married years, but I couldn't have asked for a better mother in law. She was always supportive and encouraging, she never asked but simply gave when she felt we needed. I am so comforted in knowing that one of the things she said to me in the last few months was that she was proud of us for accomplishing so much on so little, for our values and for our relationship. She told me that she could never have wished for a better wife for her son. Wow! I was just blown away and it still brings me to tears.
Mom, you will be sorely missed. You leave a huge and unfillable void in our lives. I pray that you rest in Jesus' arms and find eternal peace and happiness.
My very grateful thanks to all of you who have been supporting us in prayer. May God bless you all!
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