Families, Funerals & Fond Memories With A Few Funny Stories…

Yesterday while reading a remembrance while at a visitation for Jo Ann Caffey, I was struck by the powerful message-

“A Wife, a Mother, a Granny too, This is the legacy we have from you, You taught us to love and how to fight, You gave us strength, You gave us might.  A stronger person would be hard to find, And in your heart, you were always kind.  You fought for us all in one way or another, Not just as a wife, not just as a mother.  For all of us you gave your best, Now the time has come for you to rest.  So go in peace, you’ve earned your sleep, Your love in our hearts, we’ll eternally keep.”  Author Unknown

The stories of this wonderful woman touched everyone in the church.  She was feisty and funny, and she was loved by all who knew her- she will be greatly missed by everyone whose life she had touched.

Reading-I mourned (for a moment) the loss of never having the opportunity to have a relationship with our own mother. My memories of her are lost from the moment she gave us away (four of us- my twin, myself and our little brother along with my stepsister Tamara).  

I continually question why anyone would just give up on being a mother.  It’s a tragedy that Mothers Day is often painful to me and that while many sons and daughters are buying cards that actually mean everything about having a wonderful mother contained inside the card.  I “steer away” from the card lanes during May intentionally.  I have no mother to give a card like that to and, I never will. I do have a surrogate mom that I adopted into our family, Virginia Malone.  Filling a void that existed throughout my life with my one time coworker was a gift of friendship that has lasted 25 years.

The slide show of family photos had everyone laughing at the treasured moments in the lives of her family Jo Ann had shared. She had led a very fell life that was filled with love.  Marrying at 16 and raising her children and in later years, enjoying her grandchildren.

Adding slideshows to memorials has become very popular the past few years and I think it’s an important advancement in remembering the departed not only with words but also, with photos.

I’m so glad that Debbie had wonderful times and many adventures with her mother and I’m glad that I had an opportunity to comfort her during a time of grief.  Losing someone who meant so much to you leaves a void that Kay never be filled but, the memories you shared together will live on in your heart.

Remember to honor and cherish your parents, my son and my nieces always tell my twin and I how much they love us for we took our roles as mothers wuite seriously doing everything that we had no one to do for us and becoming the mothers we had never known.

Through the good times and the bad, the one thing we have consistently “done right” it’s being good parents to our children and grandchildren and enjoying fun family outings as well as working together as The Pawning Planners/Texas Twins Events team being “the people we’ve never met” to hundreds of families these past five years by giving anyone, regardless of their income the opportunity for a dream event.

By doing this for others we’ve met many wonderful families who became lifelong friends along by giving someone a birthday party she had never had, numerous weddings, anniversaries, baptisms and yes, saying goodbye to many by honoring them with a memorial of their passing.

One thing I’ve learned is that many folks are “not ready” for death.  Death is like a dark stranger that clouds families with loss and grief. No one is ever “truly” ready to say goodbye to someone who was an important part of their life and who kisses their boo boos or read them a bedtime story.  Being a parent is one of the most important roles you will ever have. 

  

  

  

  

  

  

    
   
Since we had very few photos from our childhood, Cindy and I constantly take photos of our children and grandchildren and while they may complain- we promise them that one day they will treasure the moments we have captured on film and video because we wish we had more memories of our own childhood but, we don’t.My twin sister and I talk to each other several times a day.  I see my grandnieces 3-5 times a week and I visit with my nieces 2-3 times a week- we are very close.  My son lives a block away from me so I take him dinner or he stops by 2-3 times a week.  You see, my family is one of the most important things in my life.  Many families aren’t as tight knit as we are and that’s okay.  We don’t see my aunt nearly as often as we would like during wedding season but we try to see her as often as we can.  We see Virginia (she lives three miles from me) as often as we can too because she has been an active part of my family all these years.

Family or friends, you mean a lot to someone close to you and relationships are important to those close to you.  Make time for your family and make time for your friends.  We never know when our time on earth will end…

Wendy M Wortham No Money? No Problem- We Take Trades! The Pawning Planners