Mom’s Eulogy
Hello and thank you for attending this morning.
Mom was the sort of person who knew what she was going to be from a very young age. When her (favorite) cousin Devin was born, mom’s mom and Devin’s mom were surprised to find my mom holding him in the bedroom. She said that he was “her baby” and it’s like she knew that one day she would have babies of her own.
Growing up as the oldest has some perks. I received undivided attention for 14 months, had all the new parenting styles tried on me, and enjoyed some pretty sweet birthday parties. Mom had a way of thinking that no party idea was too much. Around 1st grade, she threw a spy themed party and didn’t hold back. She hid clues in resealed cereal boxes, weathered notes hidden around the house, and culminated in a big cake. She knew how to make special events all the more special.
For Christmas in 98, the family actually was in China for a couple weeks. It was kind of a bummer, knowing that Santa wouldn’t be able to visit us, seeing as we were on the other side of the planet at the time. Imagine the surprise on my and my sibling’s faces when we got home and saw that he still came. Or there was a time when the family was returning from a trip on Easter Sunday, and seeing eggs hidden while we pulled into the driveway. Mom had that quality about her to make magical moments alive for us kids.
It has been such a treat and blessing to read the many stories shared by friends, former classmates, peers, and family about my mom. Knowing that the effort and love we kids were able to grow up with, shared with the community is so nice.
In particular, I saw a story one of her friend’s Kerrie post. “When we were facing hard times or upset with our circumstances, we would always ask each other, “What Would Julie Do” because it would help us remember to be kind, humble, positive, and have grace.”
Thank you, Kerrie, for sharing that.
I leave you with a verse that mom liked:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, and in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.