My mother passed away a little over a week ago, and it was the end of an era for our family. Her parents were long ago deceased, and she was the last of six siblings. It was the death of a generation.
She was our matriarch, our rock. She was the one we all turned to with our joys, our sorrows, our troubles, or just because we had something we wanted to share with her.
She encouraged us, sympathized with us, and was our leader in her spiritual faith, but she was never our judge.
I don’t think my mother ever had a full realization of how special people thought she was. She went through life just doing what she thought needed to be done, without expecting anything in return. While she was small in stature, she wore some very big shoes that no one else will ever be able to fill.
On the night that my mother died, my niece, Candice Danforth Horton, wrote a poem that I think speaks very accurately of who my mother was, and how her family felt about her. I'd like to share that with you now.
She was our matriarch, our rock. She was the one we all turned to with our joys, our sorrows, our troubles, or just because we had something we wanted to share with her.
She encouraged us, sympathized with us, and was our leader in her spiritual faith, but she was never our judge.
I don’t think my mother ever had a full realization of how special people thought she was. She went through life just doing what she thought needed to be done, without expecting anything in return. While she was small in stature, she wore some very big shoes that no one else will ever be able to fill.
On the night that my mother died, my niece, Candice Danforth Horton, wrote a poem that I think speaks very accurately of who my mother was, and how her family felt about her. I'd like to share that with you now.
Margie
All my life you were there when I needed you
But somehow you slowly slipped away
Part of me feels the sadness
But mostly I feel the pain
And sometimes I feel the rage
Some days I feel just the love
In small moments I see a light shining
And sometimes I just feel numb
All the bittersweet memories flood my mind
As I sit alone in this empty room
I used to think that we’d have forever
But forever came far too soon
There’s so much that I needed to tell you
So much I never got to say
Yet I know that you always knew
That I loved you anyway
You brought out the best in everyone
And you were the best of us all
You never lost your faith in anyone
No matter how far we’d fall
You touched more lives than you knew
All your children young and old
Small things may in time be forgotten
But no one will forget your heart of gold
If ever you were given the chance
You would give all that you could
You put yourself last in everything
Holding to all that was pure and good
No one will forget the many children
Who you so gently took into your care
Nor will we forget the work you did
Or the faith you were so willing to share
You were the matriarch of our family
The center rock on which we all could stand
And no matter where there was a need
You always lent a helping hand
Everyone to you was important
You were unbiased and kind, full of truth
Giving everyone a chance, only seeing good
And your smile brightly lit every room
Wisdom and love were your tools
As you had lived many lifetimes in one
A depression and a war, family and church
86 years and now your work is done
You had many names; mom, grandma, great grandmother
And Grandpa called you honey, wife and dear
You were aunt, teacher, nurse and friend
But it’s Margie we lay to rest here
~ Candice Horton ~
January 17, 2009
All my life you were there when I needed you
But somehow you slowly slipped away
Part of me feels the sadness
But mostly I feel the pain
And sometimes I feel the rage
Some days I feel just the love
In small moments I see a light shining
And sometimes I just feel numb
All the bittersweet memories flood my mind
As I sit alone in this empty room
I used to think that we’d have forever
But forever came far too soon
There’s so much that I needed to tell you
So much I never got to say
Yet I know that you always knew
That I loved you anyway
You brought out the best in everyone
And you were the best of us all
You never lost your faith in anyone
No matter how far we’d fall
You touched more lives than you knew
All your children young and old
Small things may in time be forgotten
But no one will forget your heart of gold
If ever you were given the chance
You would give all that you could
You put yourself last in everything
Holding to all that was pure and good
No one will forget the many children
Who you so gently took into your care
Nor will we forget the work you did
Or the faith you were so willing to share
You were the matriarch of our family
The center rock on which we all could stand
And no matter where there was a need
You always lent a helping hand
Everyone to you was important
You were unbiased and kind, full of truth
Giving everyone a chance, only seeing good
And your smile brightly lit every room
Wisdom and love were your tools
As you had lived many lifetimes in one
A depression and a war, family and church
86 years and now your work is done
You had many names; mom, grandma, great grandmother
And Grandpa called you honey, wife and dear
You were aunt, teacher, nurse and friend
But it’s Margie we lay to rest here
~ Candice Horton ~
January 17, 2009
