Mom's Memorial

Well, I attended one of the most unique memorials I've ever attended in my life today, and it happened to be my Moms! I've been to way more funerals and memorials then I care to count in my life. I would have to say this was the most honest one, I've ever been too. It was just our immediately family which allowed us the freedom to really say what was on our hearts. My mother had struggled with mental illness all her life and with that came many side struggles. All of that doesn't add up to too functional of an environment to grow up in. I won't share any personal stories but as a family we were able to get some things out yesterday and while painful it was needed. The context seemed weird to me but as I thought about it we didn't really have much of a choice. Because of Covid, which she passed from, the first time we got together in more than a year and a half was last week and this was the 2nd. So the processing kind of took place at the memorial. My sister Michelle planned the whole service and Michelle and her husband Mike were in essence my Mom's caretakers for the last 25 years or more. We all, despite a lot of hurt from the past, loved my Mom unconditionally. There was a revelatory moment however for me yesterday. One of my siblings revealed that it was because of my Mothers struggles that we actually came into our love for Jesus which I really never put together. Then leave it to my wife who I was talking with about this, and her always trying to put a positive spin on everything, she said, so the two most important things, giving you life itself and coming to know Jesus, were because of your Mom. Thank you Mom! Love you!