We can shed tears that she is gone...or, we can smile because she lived. We can close our eyes and pray that she’ll come back...or, we can open our eyes and see all she’s left. Our hearts can be empty because we can’t see her...or, we can be full of the love we shared. We can turn our backs on tomorrow and live in yesterday...or, we can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday. We can remember her and only that she’s gone...or, we can cherish her memory and let it live on. We can cry and close our minds, be empty and sad...or, we can do what she’d want...smile, open our eyes, love, and go on! (Adapted from an eulogy I heard from Mrs. Paula Pinckard, at her grandmother, Mrs. Bessie Deen’s funeral)
Today is Easter Sunday and I can’t help but think of her words on Easter Sunday a year ago: “He is risen, Christ is risen indeed.” She wrote those words on the marker board in her hospital room and spoke them to everyone who came into her room that day. A day before she was placed on the ventilator, she was wearing a full-face oxygen mask that made her voice barely audible. While the nurses and aides were doing some unmentionable procedure, Katy noticed that she was saying something. Upon drawing close to her, Katy heard her singing these words:
Alive, Alive, Alive forevermore, my Jesus is Alive, Alive forevermore!
Alive, Alive, Alive forevermore, my Jesus is Alive.
Sing Alleluia, sing Alleluia, my Jesus is Alive forevermore.
Sing Alleluia, sing Alleluia, my Jesus is alive!
On this day, our family gathers to plant a Rose Bush as a fitting memorial to Trudy. It is planted next to the rose bush that came from her daddy’s garden. On one occasion, we were backing out of the carport to head to Houston’s M. D. Anderson Hospital for a difficult Bone Marrow Aspiration procedure and consults with the doctors. I saw her tears and stopped the car to find out what she was feeling. She said, “Do you see the bloom on Daddy’s Rose Bush?” It’s as though he is saying: “Keep going, Trudy! Don’t give up; it’s going to be alright!” From now on, we will think of Trudy and her Dad whenever we look at these roses. Also, we are planting a Sweet Olive Brush. It is to replace her favorite plant ... lost during some house foundation work. It, too, shall be a ceaseless reminder her joy in her gardens.
Blessings,
Robert A. Daniel, husband, Son-in-Law, Brother-in-Law, Uncle, Dad, Pops
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