BWOS family, thank you for joining my family in honoring my mom this past Thursday. I am grateful for every hug and every tear shed reflecting how special she was to all of you. There was standing room only, with a second room opened for others to sit. Still, I know there are many customers who were not able to make the drive to attend the service. So, if you would allow me....I will write just a little about my mom, your friend and shop owner.
My mom and Dr Rogers
They were really friends as the picture shows.
Proverbs 31....read it and see if it doesn't make you smile!
My mom:
She was a real advocate for family
A patient and gentle person who did not like conflict
She enjoyed life one day at a time
Her favorite holiday...Christmas
And she love handmade ornaments!
She enjoyed giving much, much more than receiving.
My mom would often remind me that you never know what goes on behind closed doors.
Slow to judge and quick to forgive
She would often say something better is coming
Gosh, did she have a lot of hope.
Sewing, Cooking, Gardening
My mom knitted socks year round on tiny, tiny needles.
Never rushing a stitch.
She wanted to be buried in a pair of her socks.
And she was.
She sold Beauty Control makeup to so that she could get braces
She was not afraid of hard work
And was very independent
She has done her share of square dancing
and made the best cheese biscuits you have ever enjoyed
She wore a lot of really high heels and sharp looking dresses back in the day.
Bright colors, bright makeup...she really liked makeup that came in pretty packaging.
Mom enjoyed reading a good book.
Magazines of every kind
She read the Bible often
She loved to be prayed for and for you to pray with her
She would hold your hand....for a long time.
We last held hands the night before she passed away.
Mom loved the countryside
Hummingbirds
The first batch of butterbeans from the garden...those were frozen for our family to have at Christmas together.
Roses....any color...any rose
My Aunt Janice's country fried steak
Uncle Tommy's bbq chicken
Susan's cornbread
Pickled okra
Homemade dressing
An elderly friend name Mrs. Harper
Rodney's piano music
Burger King lunches
Coke with a LOT of ice!
Receiving a greeting card in the mail
Pretty dining room tables
July 3rd celebrations at her house
Watermelon
Homemade ice cream
Pictures and texts from her grandchildren
Did she ever like pretty calenders and new notebooks
Jewelry...the real stuff!
Scotty winning American Idol
Watching Nashville and The Pioneer Woman
The business... BWOS....she wanted to make a safe place for others to come learn, make friends, and retreat from the sometimes harsh realities of life.
She was very empathetic and quick to give the benefit of doubt to others.
She easily found the good in everyone.
Although she could not drive herself to church, she often journaled about the many blessings she was grateful for despite tough challenges.
She was a fine example of how to live life with a grateful heart.
She endeared herself to others.
She was the best at remembering people by name.
She showed never ending kindness and concern for others.
She put others before herself
and was a loyal friend.
She was very proud of every quilt our Quilts of Valor group and her had completed and gifted to a deserving soldier.
She gave a lot of hugs.
My mom inspired others to try hard and never give up.
My mom, a beautiful and sweet lady.
We will all miss her.
To our customers, her greatest joy was to sit at the end of the cutting table, propped on the seat of her walker...she welcomed you with smiles. She would hold your hand and listened to whatever you wanted to talk about that day. I think she knew many secrets. And she kept them.
No
more feeling deep, deep disappointment if she could not make every.
single. customer. happy........can't say that enough. She loved and
provided service to everyone with all her might.
And she never forgot if somehow a customer left with any disappointment...no matter how long ago it was. She and I talked about that from time to time...what else could we have done for that valued person.
To our staff, your names are forever on our family tree. You stood by my mom in good times and in bad, tough times. You have been at the store when she could not. She trusted you with her business. She trusted you with her customers. Thank you.
Now....no more alarms to test. No more finger pricks. No more heavy batteries to tote all day long. No more plugging up to power for the night. No more walker to shuffle behind.
NO more burdens to carry.
Great is His faithfulness.
In the sweet by and by, we shall meet on that beautiful shore.
Carolyn
