Tuesday

Unlike my father, my mother-in-law has gone  home to be with the Lord.

“Maws,” as my kids and I called her, was a strong-willed, strong-personality woman, loved and revered by many.  We butted heads on a few occasions, mostly about my children and our church.  But I will miss her dearly (but for only a short time, PTL!).  How wonderful to witness that strong will and personality fight so valiantly against cancer and what a privilege to help her in any way I could.  Her faith was actually stronger in death than it was in life!

She was a proud woman and often talked about how she did not want a lot of people standing around gawking at her either as she was dying or after she was gone.  She made me swear that, after the immediate family said their goodbyes, the casket would be closed tight — no last opinions on how she looked were to be tolerated from anyone!  And God showed her such grace: She died at home a little after 6:00 a.m. with only her husband of 57 years on one side (who still believed her to be most beautiful woman he ever knew) and her Savior of 70 years on the other (who made her beautiful).

What a sweet departure!