I said goodbye to my mother Wednesday morning. She was an amazing women. I will never be able to put into words all that she meant to me and my family. Virginia wrote a beautiful poem about her.
In the Blink of an Eye
In the blink of an eye, the kids are all grown.
In the blink of an eye, they’ve all left home.
No more dishes to wash, meals to cook, or laundry to fold.
Before I knew it, I realized I was getting old.
Growing old is a privilege - so they say.
I’m getting used to it more and more each day.
In the blink of an eye, I have wrinkles and gray hair.
But it also comes with wisdom that I can share.
True wealth isn’t about riches or things.
It’s about having family and peace through whatever life brings.
I’ve endured loss and many years of pain.
But I wasn’t alone - I had my faith and family to keep me sane.
I’ve been blessed to be a ‘Mama’, ‘Grandma’, and ‘Gigi’.
I have multiple generations who look up to me.
In the blink of an eye, my life here is done.
Don’t worry about me, I’m on my way home.
I have lots of loved ones up there who have been waiting for me.
From all of my pain I’m finally set free.
I’m passing the torch now to the next generation.
I hope you’ll stay in touch with each other, no matter your location.
Treat others with respect and stay true to your core.
In the blink of an eye, we’ll be together once more.
I have been struggling with what to say on this blog about her. Or whether to even share her death. But since this is mostly a journal for me, I decided to try.
But what do you say about someone you knew your entire life and who knew you better than anyone. So much of our life is just about us that we lose sight of the people that are most important. They are just someone that is always there, until they are not. As an infant, Mama was the caregiver.
She did the laundry, cooked the meals, did the housework, bought our clothes, all the endless tasks that a mother does. As I grew, she was the chauffeur to school activates, 4-H meetings, gymnastics practice, doctor, dentist and orthodontist appointments.
And she didn't just take care of us, she took care of the entire town through her 32 years on the town council.
When we were children, my father, who was 13 years older than Mama, would introduce her as one of his children.
I know it was just my father being funny, but as a child, when you think your parents are an embarrassment, I was mortified. She was my mother, how could anyone mistake her for my sister.
But in the pictures we looked through for the funeral, I saw someone different.
I saw her for the person she was, not just my mother.
She was beautiful in every way. I also found that there are not enough pictures. Do you take a picture of the person doing the laundry, buying the groceries, driving you to practice?
No, we take pictures of scenery, tourist attractions, wildlife, nature.
It is so easy to overlook what should be the more important focus.
She was an incredible Mama,
Grandma
and Gigi.
But I wish I knew her more as Frances.
