May 3rd

Some of you have asked for me to post the speech I made at mom's service so here you go.....

My mother was the most wonderful person I have ever met. I pray each day that God helps me to be the mother that she was to me. If I can have with my daughters what I had with my mom, I will be blessed. She taught me about caring for other people and how to put others first. She would gladly go naked through the streets of Marietta when I was growing up so that I could have the latest Abercrombie sweater! She taught me that the Lord comes first, then your marriage and then your kids. She taught me that if dad says no, then go ask mom because she will probably say yes! She cried whenever she heard me sing. She went to see me in the Sprayberry musical 4 nights in a row and wished there were more shows when it was over. She loved to watch my brother play baseball and go to my dads games when he coached. She loved laying out by Robbie’s pool and playing with Pat’s cats. She loved Jason’s dog and my cats and her cat Bailey. She loved calling up her mother everyday when bored at work and then calling me right after. She loved laughing at her daddy’s jokes and hearing Barbara tell her not to encourage Robbie when he got on a roll. She loved seeing her nieces in their dance recitals and concerts and sports events. She loved Mexican food and cooking for her family. She loved to sing and she loved music. She taught me how to harmonize with whatever is playing on the radio. She loved the beach. She loved going up to Pat and Kip’s and watching the Dawgs play every Saturday in the fall. She loved planning my wedding. And above all, she loved Marshall’s. Let me say that again. She loved Marshall’s!

All of these things you probably knew if you knew her well. But the one thing you knew whether you knew mom well or not - in just meeting her, you knew that she loved the Lord and put all of her faith in Him. She was a walking testimony of someone who has been through so much and instead of turning on God and giving up, her trials only brought her closer in her walk with Him. There is a song I played for mom not too long before she became ill last summer and we listened to it and cried together because before mom was even sick, she had already been through so much in her life. The song is called, “He Ain’t the Leavin’ Kind” by Rascal Flatts and it is about how the Lord will never turn his back on you, even if you turn your back on Him. He is always there and won’t leave your side even when you think he has. And that’s how I feel about mom. I myself was angry for awhile and couldn’t understand why God would do this to my mother, who didn’t deserve this struggle. But God stayed with me and helped me through it and now I know that this was his plan and his plan is perfect. I know that Mom was put here to teach many people how to truly live and die in Christ. She has served him well and is free from the pain and suffering that God laid upon her in her last months with us.

I know that Mom felt that if her pain and suffering brought one person closer to the Lord than it was worth it. And I must tell you that this has strengthened my faith. Has it strengthened yours?

I want to leave you with some wisdom my mother left me. I will never forget this. We were driving somewhere one day and she said, “Lindsey, if I ever teach you anything in life…If you only get one thing from me let it be this…..Always make your credit card payments on time.” And guess what - I’ve got a great credit score. Thanks Mom.