Tom

We all have such fond memories of how my Mom touched our lives.

She and I were very close. She loved gardening and so I grew to love gardening, to appreciate the beauty in what we had started from such tiny seeds to become such beautiful plants. We’d go to the garden stores & Nurseries and get excited over the new cultivars & veggies we wanted to grow.

For many years we had a large vegetable garden. We even had a weatherproof salt shaker in the garden, so we could enjoy the fruits of our labor right of the vine. And laughed together as the juices ran down our faces.

In a garden you always have one or two struggling plants, which need a little more attention. Yes, I was the baby of the family and I struggled. My Mom never made me feel less of her child, she would lift me up and encourage me. I will miss our emotional intimacy that we shared.

I am the struggling plant, my life isn’t reflected by trophies, but much like my Savior, Jesus Christ, my Mom gave me the support to hold me up when I wanted to Wither away. She showed me how to stand to receive the sunshine, and amended my life so I could survive the thorns of life. And enjoy the fruits together of her labors.

In the program in your hand, there is a picture of my Mom sailing away. As she floats away down that Crick Without A Paddle, I know she sits in God’s favor for a full sail and God to guide her.

I will miss you Mom. Thank you for a life of joy and the eyes to seek it. My hope is that I can continue your legacy of sharing the Joys of our Labors with my children and others, until God brings me home to work in your Garden again.

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