I met this amazing woman a long time ago. If I had to describe her in one word alone my initial thought is to call her beautiful. Not the superficial kind of beauty that stops somewhere just below the skin. No amount of time or sun exposure will touch the type of beauty she possessed. She had beauty pouring out of her. Everything she had a hand in became beautiful. Her marriage was an example to everyone who knew her of committment, love, dedication and selflessness. Her children carried her spirit from a very young age and continue to emulate all of her best qualities. Every word she spoke was full of beauty. They were the type of words that lift people up and make you want to become a better person. It seemed like she effortlessly woke up and decided every morning to do all the good she could with every minute she had.
If you were blessed enough to know her it was like knowing a living human form of unconditional love. By definition unconditional love means affection without any limitations. This is how she loved everyone she came in contact with on a daily basis. No matter your status in life she respected and loved you without question or expectation of anything in return, she was gifted in that way. As a teacher it didn't matter which class she was officially teaching you, the first thing she taught was how to be a decent human being and then she made sure you knew she cared about you. Everything else came after those two crucial ingredients. I don't know how you feel about that but I want my children to be in decent human being school with every teacher they have!
I learned so much from her that I would never be able to thank her enough. I learned that you need to make sure your fridge always has enough food for 25 because you never know who might stop by and be hungry! You need to decorate for every holiday and change of season and you should not be afraid to go overboard...because after all there is no such thing:) You should strive to be the house that all of your kids' friends want to hang out at instead of wishing for peace and quiet. Family vacations are not just for family! You are never too old to enjoy a good bottle of bubbles. Country music might be the only music that you can enjoy as much as your grandkids! Sleeping from 12AM to 6AM should happen on every vacation. That way you can stay up late and play phase 10 but you still catch the sunrise and an early morning dip in the pool before you make breakfast for 20! Always have a mini trash can in your car, it's way more attractive than a bag! You can't love someone too much. You should always leave anyplace you have been better than you found it...this could mean cleaning a hotel room before you check out, wiping the counter in a public bathroom or just picking up trash while you are walking. Put God first in everything you do and you will not go wrong. You do not have to be in love with every move your children make, you are there to support them not judge them. God will take care of all the things that you can't handle. Money will come and money will go but friendship and love will be the things that really bring wealth to your life.
She lived and breathed a beautiful unconditional love for life. If you were blessed enough to know her then you no doubt learned a thing or two, if you were paying attention. She will be watching always and be there whenever you need her. While I can't thank her enough for the things that she unknowingly taught me I can pay it forward for years to come. I will try my best to carry on some of her traditions with my family and I will live the rest of my life trying to make everyone I come in contact with feel unconditionally loved!
May her soul and all the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
