SIX SISTERS: We wore that as a badge of honor. There were six of us. Six sisters all in a row. It is hard to wrap my brain around the reality that one of us is no longer present. Linda, our oldest sister is absent from our sight, but not absent from our hearts. Her health had been declining for a month or so, with COPD, heart failure, and stage three renal failure. We, sisters, number 2, (me, Carol), and sister number 4, (Lisa) got a call on Tuesday, February 2nd that she was in the hospital. Unfortunately, there was a NO VISITATION rule due to COVID regulations and we could not come to see her. While there she suffered a stroke and became unresponsive. Since we were not there to give a DNR, they put her on a ventilator and a feeding tube. We added sister number 6, (Sonja) and traveled to Houston on Tuesday. NOW they would let us in. . . Gee, but not when she was responsive. It took us a long five hours' time conversing with the doctors until we finally decided to remove life support and a feeding tube to let God do what He does best. . . make that decision as to when she would be transported to her new address, "MANSION IN THE SKY!" orchestrated by God, created by Jesus, and He paid for her privilege to be there by his blood on the cross. That MANSION IN THE SKY where her Heavenly Bridegroom was waiting with open arms to give her, her heart's desire: to be accepted and loved unconditionally like she never received here on this earth, and to know that she has found her home and the place where she belongs.
She was moved to Hospice on Thursday and Lisa and I sat with her for the next three days waiting for the angels to arrive. We purchased a blanket to spread over her bed. It fit her perfectly. It read, Grateful and Blessed, as she was always very grateful, and she blessed everyone. This so described her. On Friday night I refused to go to sleep. I expected angels to arrive, but I didn't know when. I sat in the chair next to the bed; I pulled up the bedside table, threw a couple of pillows over it and that’s where I stayed for the duration. I dozed across that table all night long in between singing songs to her, holding her hand, and telling her how much we loved her. I prayed for the angels to arrive. It was a long difficult night. The nurses came in twice to check on us and to give her meds at 4:00. I waited, I watched, and I listened to her breathing. About 5:30 a.m. I called Lisa from the family room where she was sleeping on a couch. . . she came, and we sat together and watched as the angels arrived to take our sweet sister to meet her heavenly Bridegroom, and move to her MANSION IN THE SKY.
We came home just before the storm hit and we spent the next few days, holed up inside our homes, crying over the phone together, texting one another till late in the night, and reminiscing about our life, Linda’s life and how she blessed us and everyone else. I spend hours making a PowerPoint for her viewing. Our sister bond deepened, and we learned some valuable lessons from this difficult journey. Is that not what difficult journeys are supposed to do. . . teach us valuable lessons. We were once again reminded of how short life really is, how fragile relationships are and what we get distracted with is not really all that important. We agreed we could have loved her better and we vowed to love one another better while time is on our side.
After our viewing with family, we will travel 300+ miles to Spur, Texas where she wanted to be buried with the rest of our family, both of our parents, grandparents, uncle, and three baby brothers she never met are laid to rest there. She received her reward and is dancing with her Bridegroom and who knows, she might even be dancing with my husband. But make no mistake, she is free and happy, in Glory Land, released from her broken body and this broken world.
We rejoice and celebrate her life. She was always helping others, sometimes to her own detriment. When we were young, she aspired to be a missionary. Recently I told her she fulfilled her dream. She really was a missionary; it just didn’t look like the traditional view we had when we were children. Years ago, missionaries went off to foreign lands and stayed away for months or years. Linda didn’t go anywhere, but she did fulfill her dream to be a missionary. She did not have any children of her own, but she had many children. She helped raise her husband’s children and then she raised her step-grandson. She called him Son and he called her Mom. There were lots of struggles, through those years with an alcoholic husband and the grandson’s mom who would come and get him, and then when she couldn’t keep him, she would bring him back and Linda would take over. There was physical, emotional, and verbal abuse, but Linda persevered for the children she loved. Then later Linda helped raise her four step-great-grandchildren. She loved those babies more than life and would have done anything to help them. She took them to church, and we have a picture of one of them holding a baptism certificate. Might I just add, if you have not received Jesus as your personal Savior, don't hesitate. Find someone and ask questions about that before it is too late.
She was a light to everyone who knew her. She continued to love everyone always and unconditionally. She was the epitome of Paul’s admonition to “be content in whatever circumstances.” We would try to convince Linda to move closer to us, but she told me recently, “I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, food in my fridge, a little money in the bank, and my community of friends. We look out for each other; what more could I ask for?” This was Linda. She never complained about her situation and she never had her hand out.
We are going to miss her terribly…so much so that I called her phone the other night, just to hear her voice and then I left her a mushy, “I love you,” message with tears and all.
Okay, Big Sis. Until we meet again, I know you will be “Dancing in the Sky.” Love and hugs.
Singing In The Sky
Dani & Lizzy
We came home just before the storm hit and we spent the next few days, holed up inside our homes, crying over the phone together, texting one another till late in the night, and reminiscing about our life, Linda’s life and how she blessed us and everyone else. I spend hours making a PowerPoint for her viewing. Our sister bond deepened, and we learned some valuable lessons from this difficult journey. Is that not what difficult journeys are supposed to do. . . teach us valuable lessons. We were once again reminded of how short life really is, how fragile relationships are and what we get distracted with is not really all that important. We agreed we could have loved her better and we vowed to love one another better while time is on our side.
After our viewing with family, we will travel 300+ miles to Spur, Texas where she wanted to be buried with the rest of our family, both of our parents, grandparents, uncle, and three baby brothers she never met are laid to rest there. She received her reward and is dancing with her Bridegroom and who knows, she might even be dancing with my husband. But make no mistake, she is free and happy, in Glory Land, released from her broken body and this broken world.
We rejoice and celebrate her life. She was always helping others, sometimes to her own detriment. When we were young, she aspired to be a missionary. Recently I told her she fulfilled her dream. She really was a missionary; it just didn’t look like the traditional view we had when we were children. Years ago, missionaries went off to foreign lands and stayed away for months or years. Linda didn’t go anywhere, but she did fulfill her dream to be a missionary. She did not have any children of her own, but she had many children. She helped raise her husband’s children and then she raised her step-grandson. She called him Son and he called her Mom. There were lots of struggles, through those years with an alcoholic husband and the grandson’s mom who would come and get him, and then when she couldn’t keep him, she would bring him back and Linda would take over. There was physical, emotional, and verbal abuse, but Linda persevered for the children she loved. Then later Linda helped raise her four step-great-grandchildren. She loved those babies more than life and would have done anything to help them. She took them to church, and we have a picture of one of them holding a baptism certificate. Might I just add, if you have not received Jesus as your personal Savior, don't hesitate. Find someone and ask questions about that before it is too late.
She was a light to everyone who knew her. She continued to love everyone always and unconditionally. She was the epitome of Paul’s admonition to “be content in whatever circumstances.” We would try to convince Linda to move closer to us, but she told me recently, “I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, food in my fridge, a little money in the bank, and my community of friends. We look out for each other; what more could I ask for?” This was Linda. She never complained about her situation and she never had her hand out.
We are going to miss her terribly…so much so that I called her phone the other night, just to hear her voice and then I left her a mushy, “I love you,” message with tears and all.
Okay, Big Sis. Until we meet again, I know you will be “Dancing in the Sky.” Love and hugs.
Singing In The Sky
Dani & Lizzy
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