I have friends whose mother passed away this week. Many prayers were offered on her behalf. Certainly, they were not answered in the way in which we hoped. This is often the story.
She broke her hip before Christmas. She was doing amazingly, which was to be expected for she was an amazing woman. Oh, she did not find the cure for cancer, deliver great speeches, or swim the English Channel. What Dot Mason did was love people. She loved her family, and she instilled in them a graciousness in service. She loved her friends and her children's friends. She welcomed them into her home and into her life. She loved the hurting and under-cared-for. That was obvious in her "in lieu of flowers" requests. She did not promote herself. She always had a ready smile and word of encouragement.
The repair for her broken hip did not work. She was scheduled for hip replacement surgery, which had to be delayed because of a respiratory infection. There was great hope that the replacement surgery would soon happen. She, uncharacteristically, became discouraged. Pain will do that to a person; pain and setback after setback. An abdominal aortic aneurysm created the circumstance that would end her time on this leg of her journey. She lingered for a couple days; not enough time. Prayers continued, even as doctors declared the hopelessness of the situation. Her loss creates deep sadness, questions, and a profound sense of loss for her family.
What would they have done differently if they had known that this past Christmas would be their last with their mother, grandmother, and great grandmother? What would they have changed if they had known that her last birthday was truly the last, or that Easter was the last Easter meal she would prepare for them? I doubt they would have done anything differently. They would celebrate with her, just as they did; this beautiful, blessed family. On Tuesday, they will celebrate a life well-lived; a woman well-loved. They will celebrate in the hope that she, herself, taught them by her words, her deeds, her love.
Yes, Dot Mason was a woman who loved people. She leaves a beautiful legacy in her daughters, in her grandchildren, in her great grandchildren. She was one of the good ones.
For today, I wish you the opportunity to enjoy the company of the good ones and I wish you
Blessings
Very sweet post. Had the honor of growing up with the Mason girls, and Ms. Dot was the best. Her girls were older that I, so she often brought toys and other hand me down things that I might like. I remember a cat clock with long whiskers and a tail that kept the seconds hanging on the wall of my playroom from Ms. Dot. She was one of the hostesses at my bridal tea. She was a dear friend of my mother's, but changes in life, took our paths into different journeys years ago. I'll never forget her sweet smile and gentle spirit -- that same spirit that is now with the Lord.
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