We Will Never Forget

Today is my sister's birthday. We aren't out celebrating with dinner and laughter, not anymore, her life is celebrated with more meaning now. My sister went home to be with the Lord four years ago but she left behind a legacy of motherhood that most will never have. Diagnosed with cancer at just 32, with two little girls, she took the time she had left to imprint on their lives in a way that sometimes we don't even do with our lifetime. Infilling them with strength to fight for her everyday, the spunk to feel everything as if she would never have the opportunity to feel it again, armed with a faith that would get her through, she taught me, as a mom, to see the things I normally wouldn't see had she not had eternity staring her in the face on a regular basis. Many people pass through this life without the glorious opportunity to leave a piece of themselves. As a mother, my sister had that precious opportunity however painful it was to raise them and teach them knowing full well that she wouldn't be there to see the end result, she taught me to savor the refreshment that comes when I see my now grown children seeking a loving God, bearing witness to the fruit that endures from a life drawn by prayer. As a mother, my sister drew her strength from a God who loved her, who gave her 5 1/2 more years to give her her heart's desire; the ability to leave an imprint on their hearts of who she was, and who she wanted them to be. Though we miss her every day, and lately even more than that, we will never forget the person she was, and the person God allowed her to be in her last years with us. Had she not gotten sick, she may have gone on to be selfish as we all tend to be without realizing each day could be our last, not knowing our time is precious with our little (and big) blessings.

As the tears fall freely this morning thinking of her, each one another memory of the life I was privileged to share with her, may I never forget all she taught me as a mom, as a sister and as a woman of God. We will never forget! Happy Birthday!