My sister-in-law, Faye, lost her battle with cancer this week. It was short, but fierce. At first, she said that she wasn’t going to fight the cancer. She was going for ‘quality over quantity’ for the days that she had left to her. But, then she got her legs under her and she came out scrapping. She may have lost the battle, but she won the war. She won, because the things that made Fay HER are still here…
She was the only daughter in a family of boys. She learned at an early age how to play and fight. And she did. She could out-wit, out-play, and out-slug the best of them.
She loved to laugh.
She loved her family. She loved her husband, the sons that were born to her, the daughters that came to her as part of that marriage, and the girls that her boys loved and married. She loved her grandkids, and one of her greatest joys was that she was in the rooms when three of them were born. She loved her cousins and her inlaws, and she even loved her outlaws. If you are reading this and you knew Faye, you can rest assured that she loved you, too. I hope she knew how much we loved her.
She believed in forgiveness. And second chances. And even third chances when necessary.
She loved roses, all kinds of roses. But she loved yellow ones best.
She loved angels. Her room was full of them. She loved their beauty and loved that they were here to protect us.
She loved Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. And she worshipped Him in her own special way. She loved to read the Christmas story. Every year, after Christmas Eve had slowed down, she and I would read it at the same time, even though we were separated by the miles. It was our little tradition to each other.
I would have loved to have seen her face when she first opened her eyes in heaven. I can only imagine how it was for her to see the most ‘beautimous’ place ever, to see her family and friends who were there first, to see her angels, and to see her Jesus. I can see her jaw dropping, her smile breaking across her face, and then, I can hear her say, with a big laugh and a quiet little voice:
“Hot damn, ain’t this something!”
I Can Only Imagine, posted to You Tube by Matthew Sgherzi . Words and Music by Bart Millard. Yellow Rose image by FlowersYard.com.
