Tommy posted a condolence
Sunday, March 10, 2019
One of the first things you would have realized after meeting my mother is that for a woman of her era, she was marvelously outspoken. She had no problem expressing her opinion, and for the most part, due to her tenacious appetite for reading and study, she was generally right. She was an instant judge of character, clearly an Italian trait, she was able to read people almost as easily as a book, yet she somehow maintained her southern charm and hospitality when divining true intentions.
She had more energy than most, but she had weaknesses too; if you were easily offended or sensitive, you may not survive a day trip with her observations on life without being just a little embarrassed. However, if she loved you she could forgive anything, if she didn’t like you, you might as well just go home… But no matter what, if you were family she was going to feed you!
I am sure some here remember attending one of her announced “Very last Thanksgiving dinners” which I heard for so many years it became a joke. But she served love - and she loved serving… it was who she was, and she was never happier than when she was giving herself away. And with the same enthusiasm, she gave herself to her faith and to the Lord Jesus. She was the Biblical Martha – Humility in Action. I can only imagine her at the Lords feast, running everyone out of the kitchen! And I can see Aunt Leatrice at the kitchen door smiling as once again her big sister took charge and got things done.
I learned quickly not to doubt my mother’s spiritual abilities… As I practiced hitch-hiking as a teenager in the 70’s - over and over again this white Bellaire Station-Wagon would pull up to my out-stretched thumb and beckon me to enter for a ride, the same car appeared all over town, even in the middle of the night… and upon entering, mom would only say that God had told her where I was and that I needed a ride.
When I was older I wanted to show her that I had come full circle, that I was ready for all her wonderful advice and Godly wisdom that I had ashamedly ignored for so many years. I had written a poem for her and dad’s 60th wedding anniversary and so I went to her hang-out in the kitchen and asked her what was the secret to such a long union. I was fully expecting an outstanding bit of wisdom and encouragement based not on theory, but on real experience. She did not disappoint. She gently put her hand on my shoulder, looked me in the eye, and with soft and steady tone said: “Sometimes, you can be married, too long.” My mother had an incredible since of humor, and I got the greatest pleasure from making her laugh, and she always returned the favor.
But there was both fear and respect for dear mom, and it was never so evident than when it came time to renew her driver’s license. All of us kids knew that mom was not real good behind the wheel, but not one of us was going to tell her that! She was 88 and went down to the DMV to renew her license and they told her she needed to take a driver’s test. She called me very upset and I agreed to take her down to the testing site in Ocala. I was praying the whole time she was with the instructor, and to my gratitude, he did not pass her. I was able to console her and echoed her resentments of how nasty and wrong those DMV folks were being (ok, forgive me). But then she smiled and said she was allowed to take the test again! For some reason I wasn’t going to be available, so she then called Raymond and had him drive down from Tallahassee to take her. Thankfully she failed again and we could all blame the DMV. Say what you want, but you would have done the same!
She told me often that she didn’t know why God was still keeping her here, but that there must be something He wanted her to do. Even through her darkest moments she had the heart of a servant. And I witnessed over and over how she tried to lift up others when she couldn’t even lift herself. It was never all about her.
I want to say how truly blessed we were to have the help we had with mom as she got older and her physical body began to frustrate her beautiful mind. The caregivers became her adopted children and I know how hard she tried to help and encourage them even as they were there to care for her. Linda and Mia were very close to mom’s heart and I am so grateful for the love and care they provided in return. I truly believe that as she became ever more incapacitated and unable to reciprocate, she at last understood that she had completed His work, and with her life well spent, it was ok to go home and be with Jesus.
This is truly a celebration of a life well lived.
I received a call this morning a little after 8am. It is with heartfelt sadness that I need to report that one of Mama G’s adopted daughters, Samira Hassan, whom mother renamed “Mia,” was found this morning deceased at age 39. I pray mother and Mia are back together helping and caring for one another through the next phase of eternity. And I know mom would want us to remember Mia’s family, especially her children in prayer during this very difficult time. And may all of us live just for today, with gratitude within each and every breath.
“We might not be the ones to change the world. We might not belong to the few that “put a ding in the universe.” We might not be something the whole world would celebrate. But...In the little corners that we live; in the lives that we’ve played a part in, we should be nothing but unforgettable.”
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