Oakwood Cemetery

This week I am reflecting on the things that Mom gave me.  I realize this blog has been a part of grieving for me...to express my feelings on paper.
This is the week between her death and her burial one year ago. This last weekend we gathered as a family and extended family at the Oakwood Cemetery. The purpose was to see the work that Dad had done on the family plot and also to see the monument that had been set in place for Mom (and eventually Dad!). It was a sweet time as Dad also shared some genealogy information for direct descendants of Celeste Smith Rowley (my maternal great grandmother).
But back to the things that Mom gave me:

1. an example of patience     Mom had 3 children by the time she was 21 years old and then #4 at age 30. I always marveled at her extreme patience with us. I have very few memories of her ever being angry or irritated with us. She was not perfect, but patience was truly part of her character.
2. an example of embracing change  My private joke about Mom was that her middle initial (C for Celeste) really meant C for CHANGE. She loved change and she was never afraid of it...whether it was a move to the other side of the ocean or having a major change in a carefully planned 'event'. She was very, very flexible. I want to be like this.
3. her deep love for all of her family   She not only was an example here for me, but I believe that she actually deposited this in me over and over again.
4. desire for natural beauty  I'm not quite sure how to word this, but Mom was not one to get into lots of make up and clothes. I know she did love to 'shop' and she bought quite a few clothes...yes, quite a few! BUT she never seemed to make that her emphasis when she got ready for the day. She had beautiful soft brown curly hair and expressive eyebrows and a sweet dimple. She used Nivea lotion and I still have a 'flash flood' of memories when I smell that cream. She wanted to look pretty, but she also wanted to BE comfortable. As a result, she really was both. This is how I want to be!
5. her quiet trust in Jesus    When I was little, Mom would sing and hum as she worked around the house...I took that for granted as a kid, but now I know that was a contented heart that Mom had. I really don't have a knack for knowing lyrics or a singing voice, but the songs I DO know without thinking about it are the Jesus medleys she would sing as she went about her day. In later years as she shared with me about what she was praying for and hoping for...she again taught me by example to turn people, situations and desires over to Jesus. Thanks, Mom! This is a song that you would not have known, but the heart of it would be so familiar to you. 

Some photos from last weekend: