My Beautiful Mother

Today is the 3rd anniversary of my mom's passing.  Needless to say, I've been thinking a lot about her and have shed a few tears.  Of course, I missed her on Mother's day, but I miss her every day! I just felt like I needed to post some of my feelings about the most wonderful person I ever knew, my mother.  

My mother is the most Christian person I know (in the truest sense of the word.)  She loved our Savior and sincerely tried to follow Him.  She was totally dedicated to our family--loving each of us with so much devotion.  My mother was a true Matriarch, a beacon in our home.  She did so many things to help make our home a haven.  She taught us to believe in God, to pray, and to live as we were taught by our Savior.  She taught us to love, to forgive, to not judge, to be kind, to work hard and do our very best.  Because of this, there was a lot of peace and happiness in our home.  My childhood wasn't perfect, but it was pretty close thanks to her efforts.  No matter what I ever did, my mother loved me and was loyal to me.  And I did a lot of things to break her heart. But she never gave up on me, ever.

My mother was totally dedicated to serving people in all kinds of capacities.  Of course, she was the PTA president for many years, and excelled in her callings in church, but she also loved and cared about every friend we ever brought over (even the somewhat strange ones!)  My mother was not just my mother--she was a mother to many, many people.  She had the biggest heart. She let countless people come and live in our home when they needed a place.  And she would love these people as if they were her own.

As we started families of our own, my mother fell in love with each of her many grandchildren. She was the kind of Grandma that LIVED for the next time she got to see one or some of her grandchildren.  She loved each of our children and when she was with any particular one, she seemed to love them best.  But she loved them all the same--she was the BEST Grandma. (That's the part that hurts so much!!) I can't possibly express what a wonderful Grandma she was.  Only my siblings could understand.

So now I have an angel.  When I pray, I feel like she's listening too.  And because she was such a good teacher, I feel like I always know what she would say when I need some advice.  She was so practical, logical, unselfish, and wise.  I am so thankful for having had the best mom in the world!  I could go on and on, and tell tons of stories that support my claims, but you just have to trust me!!

I found this email that I sent out the day my Mother died and I wanted to share it:

My dearest friends,
I just wanted to let you know that my whole world will never be the same
again. My beautiful, devoted and angelic Mother left this world yesterday
at 1:37pm. She was surrounded by my Dad and all 5 of us children and we let
her go with a family prayer, a priesthood blessing and singing "Families Can
Be Together Forever" among other beautiful hymns and songs.

She had had a very painful and aggressive form of cancer called Multiple
Myeloma for over a year before it was diagnosed. The disease had literally
broken a vertebra, pinched a nerve and fractured her spine and 5 ribs. On
March 28th we finally found out what she was suffering from. She was given
chemotherapy the next day but by the 15th of April she was back in the
hospital with pneumonia. Her immune system had been devastated.

My Mother has spent the last 10 months in great pain and we are now so
thankful to know that her suffering is over. We are so thankful that she
lived a full and exemplary life totally dedicated to her Heavenly Father,
her Savior and her family. I know that she accomplished all that she needed
to do here and that it was Heavenly Father's will to bring her home to Him.

I know this life is a short testing period to prepare ourselves for
eternity. I know my Mother passed her tests with flying colors. I am so
thankful to know that she is now in the best place and that one day soon she
will resurrect in a perfect, healthy body. I know that I will see her
again.

My Mom had of way of making each of us feel like we were her favorite. I
will miss our special times together. I am so thankful that she was my
Mother. She was also my best friend.

I want to thank those of you (who were aware) that offered prayers in our
behalf. The prayers have truly carried us through this. Our faith has
increased and we feel more grateful than sad, just knowing how blessed we
were to have her. She made our home a heaven on earth.

I LOVE MY MOMMY!!!

Love,
Suzy

Here are some family pics--excuse the poor quality--some are pictures snapped of pictures.













Top Row: My parents engagement picture and a picture from 2002
2nd Row: Mom and I in the hospital :( and her sharing her last Sundae from Twohey's with my girls
3rd Row: Family picture in 2002 and our last family picture with Mom in 2004
Bottom Row: Family picture without her, but her presence is still there!!

All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother. --Abraham Lincoln