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After fighting a two-year battle with a rare terminal disease, my mother went to be with the Lord on November 3, 2005. Because she devoted her life to helping everyone God placed in her path, her death brought a “re-awakening” to family and friends whom she left behind. We appreciated anew the value that God places on each of our lives, temporary as they may be. Death and dying were not included in the original script when God created the universe. But in his goodness, he can use death and dying to help us see the true value of each human life.
 About five months before my mother went on to be with the Lord, my three year old daughter, Kara, and I had dinner at Perkins with mom and dad. The waitress gave my daughter a helium balloon, which she was most excited about. As we left the restaurant, I suggested that I tie the balloon to her wrist so that it would not fly away. She did not want that. As we stepped outside, my mom leaned over to Kara and said, “If you let go of the balloon, it will fly up to Jesus.” It was very difficult for Kara to watch the balloon slowly disappear into the sky and go to Jesus—just as it is now difficult to not have my mother around anymore. While it was impossible to tie my mom around my wrist, God tied her love to all the wrists of all people who met my mother.
The following poem is from her five children and was read during her funeral services.
Mom devoted her life
As a gift for all others;
With a beautiful smile
She was the best of all mothers.
Flowers and five children
She did nurture and weed;
Grandchildren and great grandchildren
All blooming from her seed.
She built all our hope
On things that won’t fade,
And her grace went much deeper
Than the mistakes we all made.
Through her testimony of love
We learned how to live;
To give to the needy;
And how others, we forgive.
She listened between
The words we did say,
And her wisdom keeps speaking
To our hearts everyday.
In the midst of the world
She hid from its fame;
Yet from her acts of kindness
So many did gain.
She was quietly fruitful;
A radiant flower;
A steadfast joy;
A very strong tower.
Mom’s love has no limits;
Not hours or days;
Not distance or death;
Her love here still stays.
Though we will all miss her,
Her spirit will not fade;
Her passion for life
Is in five kids that she made.
Though mom is with Jesus
Her loving deeds are not done;
Five kids will carry on
For generations to come.
For now all the angels
And the heavenly hosts,
Can enjoy our mom’s cooking
And her desserts the very most.
The pain we now feel
Is part of the happiness back then;
To have shared in the life
Of our mother and friend.
poem by Dean Robinson
e-mail him at drobinson@sebesta.com | 
