Mom's Eulogy

Proverbs 31:10-31 ¹⁰ An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. ¹¹ The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain. ²⁵ Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future. ²⁶ She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. ²⁷ She looks well to the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. ²⁸ Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her, saying: ²⁹ "Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all." ³⁰ Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. ³¹ Give her the product of her hands, And let her works praise her in the gates.

Anita was a lover of beauty and life. Her joy in the beauty of flowers and open spaces would often demand that we stay just a little longer and enjoy the smells and sights of creation. She loved fresh fruits and good foods, always to be presented and shared with as many people as possible. Easter and Christmas were always times of tradition and beauty, and she took pride in “going all out” with candles and flowers and decorations, even to the point of decorating the neighbor’s tree for the occasion.

She was classy, refined, and very lady-like and enjoyed the high and traditional things of life, and found in them significance and beauty, meanwhile filled with joy to pull out the camper and go for a camping trip and cook over the fire and tell stories. She was a deeply humble person who never considered herself above anyone.

She loved to laugh and never wanted to miss any conversation. We love the fact that when she laughed hard she could not stand up and would throw her head back, even willing to laugh at herself. She would defend herself from playful teasing by a playful bop on the head, causing hard laughter rendering her attackers defenseless.

She was to hundreds a friend and encourager, and was always on the lookout for a way to encourage and help and give. Whether it be shopping trips or sports or rook games or trips to a B&B, many came to love her deeply as a friend. She was a terrific listener and advocate and would always put people before tasks. She always defended people, and made them feel safe and comfortable. Always being slow to take offense.

She was to Tim the wife described in Proverbs 31. Utterly devoted to him, she was and is his cheerleader, advocate, helper, friend, lover, and confidant. In their union we see a beautiful picture of the relationship between Christ and His Church. Often seen hand in hand and side by side, they were for us a refuge and picture of what marriage must be.

She was for her children a defender, provider, advocate, and friend. She always displayed selflessness and put our interests above her own. She would fiercely defend us and gently encourage us at every step. She even loved and provided for our friends. She and Tim rarely if ever missed a game or event. They even traveled to the other side of the world for the birth of their first granddaughter. We were able to give ourselves to her honestly, without fear of rejection. She was the family “command center” and through her, we would all keep up to date on each other on a daily or weekly basis.

She was filled with grace and extended grace to everyone, no matter their situation. She was free of gossip, always striving to see the good in everyone and a reason to give everyone that extra chance. Very tactful and polite to everyone, she was well known to be gentle with people and their feelings and concerns. We have always said that she could find the good in absolutely anyone. If there is one thing that characterized her life, it is that she deeply loved.

She was a woman of deep faith and it would be impossible to understand her life and character without seeing that she was deeply committed to Jesus. The deepest foundation of her character was who she had become because of the work of Jesus in her life through the Holy Spirit living in her. She loved our times of worship as a family and prayed constantly that her children would follow Christ and marry those who followed Christ. She was ever to be found sitting in the living room in her chair with her green bible open and would ask tough questions and make sure she fully understood everything. She would often pray passionately for friends and relatives and others to come to understand the faith that had so filled her heart and set her free.

She lived for the day when her faith would be sight. And on August 6^th, it happened. Though her body failed her, she was joyful in a time of deep despair because of the amazing hope that this was not the end of the story. She was confident in what was promised to her and she knew deep in her soul that it was really so. She was joyful, even in her dying, because her dying was a way to reach out to others. Her faith that God would work through the cancer and bring good out of it sustained her to the end.

In Romans 12:15, Paul gives us a beautiful summary of how we as believers should relate to others in compassion and wisdom. He teaches us to "Weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice." Today, we have come to do both things, if we are to be sensitive to those in this room and the one that we have come to honor.

It is easier to weep with those who weep, since they are here with us and since most of us feel the sting and tearing that comes with saying goodbye (if only for awhile) to someone so important as a mother, lover, friend, and sister.

However, we must not forget to rejoice with the one who is now rejoicing. After much running the race and fighting the faith and struggling to see and be convinced of what she knew in the depths of her soul to be true, she has arrived. The veil is gone and the problem of pain and brokenness and unanswered questions can no longer hinder her.

She has been faithful and has held fast and has overcome. She is now ready to receive from Jesus what He has promised to give to her.

Jesus says, “To the one who overcomes...

1) I will grant her to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
2) She will not be hurt by the second death.
3) I will give to her some of the hidden manna and I will give to her a white stone and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but the one who receives it.
4) I will give her authority over the nations and I will give to her the morning star.
5) I will clothe her in white garments and I will never erase her name from the book of life and I will confess her name before my Father and before the Angels.
6) I will make her a pillar in the temple of God and she will no longer go out from it anymore. I will write upon her the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down out from heaven from my God, and I will write on her my new name.
7) I will grant her to sit down with me on my throne, just as I also have overcome and sat down with my father on His throne.