In Memoriam

It's never easy to lose a loved one, and today another one passed into glory. My only maternal aunt, mom of four, grandmother of two, and wife of one took her final breaths after a prolonged, painful struggle with cancer.

My aunt escaped death more than once. She nearly drowned as a child. She escaped eternal death through faith in Jesus as her Savior, and for as long as I have know her, she was always full of zest and joy for this life.

While I did not get to spend a lot of time with my aunt growing up, the times I did spend with her were very special. I spent part of a summer with her while my mom went back to nursing school. We enjoyed many special family reunions. My aunt was always a marvelous cook. In fact, she may be part of the reason I love oatmeal so much. She introduced me to Amish oatmeal, aka baked oats, at her house and I have not looked back since.

This aunt was always the practical and fashionable one, buying us nice, high quality clothes for Christmas. In fact, I still have and wear some of them today! She wrote long, newsy e-mails filled with details of her gardening, canning, pottery, and more. She poured into people like crazy, helping immigrants, single moms, the ill, and more.

While I did not get to visit my aunt before she died, I did get to write her a letter. She texted my mom that it was "undeserved." No, it was accurate, but that was the way my aunt lived: never deserving, always appreciative, always grateful.

After more than a year of fighting cancer, it finally took my aunt from us. Well, it took her from this life, but not from her eternal life. Jesus took her home to His home in heaven. We look forward to seeing her again one day soon.