My Mom

It's been 2.5 weeks since my mom, dad, sister and I walked into my mom's oncologist office to be told that my mom's cancer was in the final stages and she most likely had a couple of weeks to live.
We were told that we explored all forms of treatment and sadly none had battled the cancer like hoped. To continue treatment would most likely not help, but instead hinder the time she had left. Her doctor than said something that I will never forget and often ponder.  He said,

"The two greatest events in ones life is their birth and their death".

What a simple yet beautiful statement.

Welcoming a baby into the world is full of hopes and dreams. It is the beginning of what we will do with the beautiful gift of life.

As a child my mom was surrounded by a loving and devoted family.  She spent her childhood riding horses, becoming one of the best equestrian riders in the nation. I strongly feel our childhood activities aren't about the end result, but instead about the lessons learned. She learned dedication, the importance of hard work, team work, defeat, managing her time and priorities.  The greatest lesson her family taught her was the importance of family and importance of love.

Her number one priority as a result became her family.  Her family growing up, her marriage to my dad, the two daughters she put all of her time and energy into raising, her grandchildren and all of her friends who came into her life who she considered and treated as family.

She filled her days with service. While Heather and I were young her service surrounded our activities. She was either in charge of what we were doing or worked on some committee to make sure everything went smoothly and everyone was happy.  She was so talented as organizing events and including everyone in the process.

As we grew up, she worked and had a great impact at Civic Arts and in the City. She worked so hard and loved what she did.  She loved seeing the children and families who came to take classes. organize parties or go to preschool.

The past couple of weeks have been filled with memories of lives she touched. Her home has been filled with family and friends, supplied with food, surrounded by love, phone calls and service. Her Jersey family hopped on a plane as soon as they could, even with a wedding the upcoming weekend, to be with my mom.  It shows how important and loved she really is.  It meant so much to her!

Her days have been filled with reading everyones memories and recognizing the incredible impact and legacy of her life. It truly has meant so much to her.  Each and every word has touched her heart and left her with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes.  They have filled her.  The words have lifted her spirits and let her know how incredible she is.

In many ways the end of your life is the most special because it is a beautiful picture of the life you led, people you impacted and love you shared.

So while we are sad beyond words to say good-bye, that sadness is surrounded with peace and joy as we celebrate the incredible person my mom is and her precious gift of life that she so fully and beautifully led. She couldn't have done more with her life, loved more, been more compassionate or kind.

For so long my mom was afraid of death and having to say good-bye to loved ones in this life. While it will never be easy, there has been a wonderful spirit and peace that has surrounded her in the past couple of weeks.  A knowledge that she led an incredible life and a knowledge that death is not the end. It is merely passing from this life to the next. What a beautiful gift and comfort that has been. I know she has so many loved ones that are so anxious to be with her again. What comfort that brings!  What comfort it brings to know that her presence will be close by.  What comfort it brings to know that one day I get to look forward to a beautiful reunion with her.

Brigham Young wrote, "We have more friends behind the veil than on this side, and they will greet us more joyfully than you were ever welcomed by your parents and friends in this world; and you will rejoice more when you meet them than you ever rejoiced to see a friend in this life; and then we shall go on from step to step, from one intelligence and power to another, our happiness becoming more and more exquisite and sensible as we proceed in the words and powers of life”

I know those words are true!  I know that families are forever and that our spirits continue to live and will one day be reunited with our bodies.  I am forever grateful for that knowledge and for our Savior who made that possible.