Friday, March 02, 2007

Happy Birthday Mom!

57 yrs ago today a little girl was born and given the name of Sara Lynn. She was a blessing to So many throughout her 55 years. She did so much with what she was given. She was dealt a crappy hand in life but she made the most of it. She made lots of mistakes and had her issues but she was such an inspiration to me because she always made a point to admit her shortcomings and teach me something through them rather than deny them and allow pride to stunt any future personal growth. She always taught me to put others before myself not just in thought but in everyday actions. She is the reason that I have the compassionate heart that I do and she always reminded me to protect that character quality within myself. She was SO diligent in praying for her children and I can truly see the fruit of it today. She was a truly amazing woman that was taken from us too soon but I know that she is in heaven dancing so I can take comfort in that. :)
I could go on and on but unfortunately children and work call. Does anyone have any favorite memories that they want to share?

13 comments:

Jenny W said...

i have a lynn memory i've shared w/ e b4. i was 4 days overdue with hannah and ready to kill myself (or dave or ANYONE ELSE) and went to church just for something to do. lynn came up to give me a hug and w/ good intentions said "oh honey, you may still have a long way to go. i was 32 days late with levi." OMG! any woman who's ever been ever 30 seconds late (let alone 30 days!) how not-encouraging that was! but lynn was SO SWEET she tried to take EVERY bad situation and put a good spin on it. thank you lynn!

Anonymous said...

You know one of my most favorite memories about Lynn was that she always made everyone feel so special. She seriously made you feel like you were the most important person in the room. She genuinely cared how you were doing and what was going on in your life. She remembered the details from conversations before. She would follow up and ask you about them later. She would always give the most genuine hugs and prayers. She had a deep deep comfort about her...one that I can only dream to give to others. She always found the value in people and wanted so badly for you to see that in yourself. She loved with all her heart, soul, and spirit..so much so that she literally ached for peoples pains. Just looking into her eyes brought peace to my heart. There is so much I wish that I could tell her today. So much I wish she could hold me and talk me through. SO much that I wish she could be a part of. I love you, Lynn and I miss you so much!!! Oh great...now I'm sobbing at work (a mental health office..not exactly the place you want to be crying at when your an employee) I know she would be laughing at me :) LOL! God she was great!!!

Annette

Anonymous said...

Ok...here's another one. I know it's kind of twisted, but I loved hanging out with Lynn after she had taken her medicine. You've ever been there....you know what I'm talking about. She would wonder around her apartment in your long t-shirt pj's...sit on the couch with you for hours...showing you pictures, telling you stories, taking a nap between thoughts, retelling you the story, reshowing you the picture, etc. I just thought it was cute to watch her be so genuine and just laugh at herself. Those were good times :)
Annette

Anonymous said...

I never had the privilege of knowing Lynn personally but I have definitely witnessed firsthand the amazing heritage and impact that she has left on this earth. I cannot tell you how many people I have heard speak so highly of Lynn and the genuine respect and love in their voices is very evident. Your mom would be so proud of you Sara and of your amazing compassion!

Anonymous said...

You know...I've always been a pretty self-conscious person. There was one time we were driving back from Merrilville. I think it was Fu, Lynn and I. I was driving and Lynn touched my shoulder and said..."you have the greatest arms...I've always thought that. Such perfect shape" You know what...that was years ago. My arms have changed a lot...but everytime I look in the mirror and I start to think bad things about my image...I always feel Lynn's hand on my shoulder and here her say that to me. It brings me back to earth and start to see the beauty in myself :)
Annette

Mrs. Sara said...

Happy birthday to Mama Fu, and big hugs to you, Sara. Your mom was an awesome woman!

Mrs. Sara said...

Oh, and I don't think I knew your mom and I almost had the same birthday!

Elizabeth F. said...

Well, to pick a favorite memory is hard for me since I have so many. When I was pregnant with Zoe, Lynn was soooooo excited!She wanted to touch my tummy 24 hours a day! It was amazing to have her by my side through that special time. When it was close to my due date, she would call me literally every 30 mins. to see if I was in labor yet! At the time it was annoying, but looking back she just couldn't help herself. She was so excited to be a grandma.

Another memory that I have is about her and the meds! John went to work at night and I was always up late. She would be talking to me on the phone, I suspect cause she was a little lonely at night too, and she would say, "OK, I'm taking my medicine so if I get loopy or fall asleep, just hang up." Finally when I could tell her med had kicked in, I'd tell her to hang up. She always laughed at herself about that. :-)

Oh, and do you remember her 50th B-daY? We threw that party at our townhouse and so many people came that we were piled all over each other and sitting on the floor. So many people loved her that it was unbelievable. I still have the picture of her in her crown, wearing a 5oth B-day button, and holding a plate of food. I think it's in Zoe's collage frame over her bed. Man, do I miss her. My heart is aching now.

Elizabeth F. said...

Ok. One last memory. Even when she was very sick, she was always concerned about her inconvienence on others. She would apologize incessantly. "I'm so sorry dear." was her key phrase. It was such an honor to be a part of her life, and be there for her when it really counted. She was the most forgiving person that I've ever met, and she loved me more than I ever deserved. She truly treated me like I was her daughter. I only wish that she could still be here to enjoy all of my kids and so that they could all know her. (stop crying Sara!) :-)

Sarafu said...

(sniff...snifff)
Oh, man, Annette, I LOVED it it when she took her meds. She really was fun to talk to about a half an hour into that. She would always get SO mad the next morning and say, "why didnt you put me to bed and leave" She always had SO much to say then and she would ALWAYS insist that she wasnt tired and she didnt want us to leave! It was Super funny!
I have SO many great stories. I could fill this up really quickly! I am going ot try to weed some down and when the kids go to bed I will try to add some more.
Thanks everyone for honering my mom with me!
Love you all

Nothing said...

I think that there is never enough that could or can be said or described about Lynn. My what a dear soul!! Kind, caring, loving, nurturing,supportive, encouraging, understanding, non judgemental and as far away from self-serving as any human could be.

We went one time to minister to her and serve her and bless her by cleaning her apartment. As always, she turned the table and ministered to and blessed us. That is how it ALWAYS was with Lynn....she really cared about everyone that she came into contact with. I never heard her say one negative word about anyone. We had some in depth talks about marriage and raising children and they were some of the most encouraging conversations that I have ever had with anyone.
The blessing of her in this world lives on!!!!!!!

patty said...

Funny you should ask this now...just the other day, literally, I was cleaning some papers out in Day's office. I came across a page of a journal that I had torn out.....must have thrown the journal away and saved this page in particular for something that was on the other side, but when I flipped it over I read..."Went out for dessert tonight with Lynn. She is SUCH a neat lady.We really had a good talk." Then i remembered, it was Denny's in VAlpo, and we went out for a kind of "get to know you" over pie and coffee. She was special.

Elizabeth F. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.