Mom

While I do not expect many people to read this I feel the need to write it.My mother passed away on Aug7,2010 and while packing her things I found a journal she had written to my brother,myself and my children.After reading that I realized that someday when I am gone my children and maybe even grand children will read this and get to know me better.Maybe it will help them get over my loss.I know that knowing what my mother believed in and reading her thoughts on things has helped me.I still feel like it is a nightmare and I will wake up soon,but I also know that she is safe and healthy now.

Tonight my brother and I wrote a tribute to her and posted it on facebook.I will post it here as well for whoever my wish to read this.

This is a Facebook and printed tribute to our beloved mom “Elizabeth Sawyer”. Now she would not know anything about this electronic entity called “Facebook”, and those who knew her would laugh and agree. This is for the people that knew her but could not attend the memorial service and even for those who didn’t. When mom passed on August 7 2010 at around 7:30 AM, I felt that part of me died with her, so this is my electronic message in a bottle, or maybe this is just for our closure and to share some of her wonderful spirit with others. For those who did not know her let us assure you that she was a kind, loving and funny person. She loved nothing more than to bring a smile to the face of others and really loved to practice spontaneous acts of kindness. We would like to share with you all a story of how she brought a smile to the face of her good friend the late Gladys Loar. It was the occasion of Gladys’s birthday and mom sent an E-mail asking Mark (her son) to bring her a gift for Gladys. This is the E-mail she sent to Mark: “This is Gladys’s birthday and the only thing she has mentioned wanting is a fifth of Jack Daniel’s. Now, I don’t know why anyone would want a fifth of Mr. Daniels or any other man. I mean, she didn’t even say what fifth she wanted. What’s up with that? But I mustn’t be too hard on her, she is getting a year older and maybe she doesn’t think she can handle a whole man anymore. A woman has to know her limitations. So please stop by the alphabet (ABC) store and pick Jack up. I understand that is where he hangs around. Better pick up a bottle of whiskey too. We’ll have to cut him up after he gets here and you know that could get kind of messy and painful too.”Now we do not know if she found this or if she wrote it herself, but it is a great example of her quirky sense of humor. Giving to others brought more joy to her than receiving the finest jewels. Although she never had much she always was the first to give of what she had. Anyone who knew mom well knew her since of humor was unusual, and that she could find the humor in almost any situation. When mom was still living in Williamsburg we had a series of break-ins in our house while I was in boot camp. Most people would decide to install a security system. Not our mom, she decided that the best way to prevent further break-ins was to put a $20.00 dollar bill outside on the patio table. Since the burglar was desperate enough to break in, they must really need the money. She always saw the best in people. There is no getting around the fact that our mom was physically ill most of her adult life and she learned to deal with it through humor and prayer. She always said that God doesn’t give you more than you can handle. I guess God knew that she was a strong woman. She faced death more than once and came back with even a greater appreciation of everything in life. Her strength was an inspiration to us all. Many people who face a chronic illness can sometimes be angry but mom had no time for anger. One of her favorite prayers was, “Thank you dear God for all you have given me, for all you have taken away from me, for all you have left me.” I have a prayer. Dear Lord; please except our mom in Heaven with all the glory and grace and let the angels sound their trumpets, for I truly believe you are receiving a saint! Amen. She blessed the lives of anyone who knew her. She will be sorely missed… Mark & Dawn