February 1, 2011

It's hard to believe that it's nearly been a month since Mom passed away. We've started the process for the Susi Miller Memorial Scholarship and have already collected over $1000! It's very exciting and I'm so proud that we'll be able to honor her memory for years to come with this scholarship. If you are interested in contributing, let me know and I'll give you all the necessary information.

As promised, here's the tribute that I read at the funeral.

My Mother loved me. She loved my brother and his wife. She really loved my Dad. She loved our dogs. She loved John Denver and John Wayne. She loved nature. She loved music. She loved stamping. She loved life. But most importantly she loved God. She lived her life in a way that radiated her love for Him with every thought and action. She was the ideal mother and wife. She taught many lessons over the years, and her actions spoke so much louder than her words. Galatians 5:22-23 read, The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against these things there is no law. Those were also the fruit of her spirit, as she fully embodied these characteristics.

Mom never got mad. She never complained. Even while playing out the hand she was dealt with cancer, she didn’t blame God or question Him. She fought her battle with dignity and remained courageous and strong until the end, and called for us to be strong, as well; not for ourselves, but for one another. Cancer was not a death sentence to my Mom—it was a life sentence—for all of us. She lived each and every day to it’s fullest, giving thanks to God for each and every blessing. Because of her courage and faith, everyone that knew her lived a little more in each and every day. I once read that there are just as many stars in the sky at noon as at midnight, although we cannot see them because of the sun’s light. Our lives are like this, as we often miss the radiance and beauty of something so wonderful during the good times, and it is not until times of darkness and trouble that we are able to see how God truly takes care of us. Mom saw the stars at night, and rejoiced. Then she, in turn, allowed us all to see her radiance and beauty as she shown through her darkest days.

Even after her diagnosis, she spent many hours in the room above the garage, carefully creating her cards. She diligently worked on handmade birthday and Christmas gifts for her Sunday School class. She shared her gift of song to soothe loved ones at the funeral of strangers, but also to help celebrate joyous occasions.

Music played a very important role in Mom’s life and she has passed her love of music on to us. Seldom a day went by in our house or car that the radio, cd player, or ipod wasn’t playing. And if the music was playing she was singing—even if she didn’t know the words. Every birthday, for as long as I can remember, was initiated with “Birthday” by the Beatles, not just for me, but for all of us. Even after Justin and I moved away, the phone would ring on our respective birthdays and our hello was answered by that same familiar song. Our lives had a soundtrack, every event had a song, and if she didn’t know one that fit, she made it up. Dad, Justin, and I were fortunate because we were showered with her love to an infinite degree. She packed more life into her forty-nine years than others could in five lifetimes. It almost seems unfair to the rest of you that we got to have so much of her, leaving less to share with everyone else.

She continually put the needs of others before herself. I think that’s what made her such a great wife, mother, and friend. I am sure that nothing would delight her heart more, or better honor her kind spirit, than to put into action the lessons she lived by. We should continually strive to jump at the opportunity to serve others. Aesop said, "No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted." My Mother never wasted an opportunity to show God's love and kindness to someone else. She believed that anything worth doing was worth doing well, and that she did. There is nothing I can think of that Mom couldn’t do, and in addition to doing it well, she did it joyfully. Mom was blessed with so many talents and she used them so selflessly.

My Mom is an example of what we all should strive to be. I consider it a true blessing from God to have known her and been fortunate enough to call her “Mom”. And as Dad and I decided, She was perfect, and now she is more perfect.