Surrounded By Love

I haven't been able to work in my studio for well over a week now because of the death of my mother-in-law. She was in the hospital for several days and then returned to her room in Franke Home to die in her own bed. It had been a long, long road she traveled and she was a fighter who never said, "I quit." She approached her life with enthusiasm and was always ready to jump on the bus and go--even up until the last two weeks of her life. But, above all, she was a fine woman who saw the good in everyone and loved her family beyond measure. We will all miss her but are so glad that she no longer suffers.

What was overwhelming for me and my husband was the response to her passing by those we knew and those who knew her. We were inundated with food brought by my quilting friends and neighbors. My daughter-in-law's tennis friends provided a huge luncheon for everyone after the funeral. And so many people came to the Funeral Home on the evening before the service that I wasn't even able to speak to everyone that was there. The service itself was all that my mother-in-law could have wished for. We sang her favorite hymns, the priest gave a homily that really captured the essence of whom she was and her son carried her ashes from the church to the grave site with a quiet dignity that would have made her proud.

One of the greatest blessings that can come from a sadness such as this is the reconnecting with family. And we did that. We spent time with our nieces and nephew, great niece and nephews, aunts and uncles, their children and other relatives. And it was wonderful. We have a pretty nice family if I don't say so myself and I don't know why we get so busy with our individual lives that we don't do this without a special occasion to bring us together. Maybe we'll work harder at making that happen. I know it would be a great tribute to a fine woman who treasured her family and taught me so much through the years through her example. Fly high, Clara, and may your journey be glorious.