Yesterday Em and I went and fixed Mom’s hair and put on her makeup, it was very important to us that she looked like she did before she got sick. I have to be honest, we were a little uncomfortable at first. She was so still, so cold, so lifeless. But I had to remember that it was just her earthly body that we were looking at, that her soul was no longer there. But all I could think of was that it was the body I saw laying there that carried me for nine months, it was those hands that cared for me, that held me, that changed my diapers and those lips that kissed me good night. But Em and I were able to make light of the situation and joke with her while we dolled her up.
This morning the whole family arrived at the funeral home 45 minutes before the visitation was supposed to begin. They waited until everyone arrived and we all went in together. I didn’t think I would be very emotional but I just cried as I looked at my mom, looking the way she was just laying there. It was one thing to think of losing the mom I knew in the last couple of months. The mom that lived in a hospital bed at my grandparents, who spent her days being spoon fed and changed and turned from one side to the other because she couldn’t do those things for herself. I didn’t mind saying good bye to that mom. But this, this was the mom that I recognized, the mom that raised me, the mom that I talked to on the phone everyday, the mom that came to visit me, I didn’t want to say good bye to that mom.
One of the first things you noticed when you walked in the room was the flowers that were completely surrounding the casket. I was blown away. And for the first 2 hours of the visitation, the florists just kept bringing in more. They were on the side tables, in the entryway, on the floor. I think we estimated about 70 floral arrangements as well as six afghan’s.
From 12-4 we had a constant flow of visitors. Most of the time we could see the end of the line, but sometimes it stretched around the corner. We had a quick break from 4-5 where we all got about 20 minutes to eat and freshen up. Then we started again from 5-8. For the next 4 hours there was a line that stretched the length of the room, around the corner, out the room, down the hall, into the next room, wrapped around that room and back down the hall.
At the end of the night we did an estimated count of the guest book and there were around 825 people who came. Wow. Did I shake a lot of hands? You bet. Were my feet tired? Yep. Did I introduce myself over and over again? Sure did. Was I completely appreciative of every-single-person who took the time to come pay their respects to my mom and our family? Absolutely. I was so glad to meet every single person that knew my mom. I was so happy to see people that I already knew that were special to my mom. I was so proud to shake hands and say “Hi, I am Lindsay, Beth’s daughter.”
Mark 16:15 – He said to them, “Go out into all the world, and preach the good news to all creation.”
I heard story, after story, after story of the lives that my mom has touched. I heard people tell me things about my mom that I never knew. How she prayed for them when they were in need, how she tucked encouraging scripture in their mailbox at work, how she told them about her Savior. My mom lived out this scripture. She went into her world, to her co-workers, her peers, her classmates, her professors, and she preached the good news through her words and her actions.
My mom has inspired me to be a better Christian. She has inspired me to speak more boldly about the One who died for me. She only lived for 49 years on this earth, but they were 49 full years.
Many people have said “there are always a lot of people at a young persons funeral.” But people were not just there because my mom was young. They were there because she had shown them a love like Jesus. They were there because she lived a life worth honoring…a life like Jesus has called us all to live.
My mom lived a great life and was a wonderful example for me. And I am so proud to be her daughter.
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