I attended the funeral of a Garden Club member today. I have never met this woman as she joined my Garden Club in 1954 and served as president in 1955. With time she lost her husband and began to show symptoms of Alzheimer's. In 1998 she moved from New York to South Carolina to live with her son. I didn't move to New York until a couple of years later. I had heard stories of this fine woman but it wasn't until I attended her funeral that I felt I really knew her.
The pastor spoke eloquently of her life. Her son and her daughter both spoke. I remember phrases like, "Best Mother", "could see a coat in a NYC storefront and go home and make it", "went to Cornell at the age of 16", "married at 18", "had first child at 20". They related stories and fond memories of a good woman. It was mentioned that even with her Alzheimer's decease she always remembered two things: the Garden Club and her faith in Jesus Christ.
The thing that impressed me the most however, was a simple statement by her son-in-law. He said, "I don't have much to say but I think I want it said that you hear a lot of jokes about Mother-in-laws. None of them applied to "Ga". She was a fine Christian woman". What a summary of one's life; What a tribute.
Rest in peace, dear lady.
1 comment:
One day, the same thing could be said at your funeral!!
On an unrelated note, I posted the Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe on The Busy Chef... check it out!
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