Sunday, June 01, 2008

Saying Good-bye for Now


In April, my mother, Rosa Naomi Claridge, passed away. Mixed emotions fill my mind as I write this. Deep sadness and loss floods over me. Hearing her voice and giving her hugs, her encouragement and support, and her mischievousness are all things I will miss. Her gentle, kind, generous heart endeared her to not only me but many others. Yet I know she is at peace, with no more pain or loneliness. But best of all, I know I will see her again and together we can walk and talk and visit to our heart's content. I am also very grateful that our loving Father orchestrated events so that I was able to spend her last day at her side and that my sister and I were with her when she died. She was not able to acknowledge my presence but I know she knew I was there. But, again, I will miss her.

The Grandma Rosa project was my mother's idea--I named it. Her heart went out to children all over the world. Her aunts cared for orphans in Norway during World War II and she instilled in her family a desire to help others. Both my sister and I have been involved in numerous children's ministries over the years because of her influence. Project Patch and Smile Alliance International are just two of them. Her grandchildren lead kid's divisions at church.

Over 800 Grandma Rosa blankets were distributed during the Katrina disaster and another 800 have been sent to Ukraine. Many of her angel banners hang on walls in Ukraine while several hundred more were given out in the United States and other countries. She often bought crafts and little gifts for me to distribute. She prayed constantly for the children. She shared stories of the kids with many of her friends and asked them to pray for us and for the children. She kept encouraging me to write the story of our adventure and I hope to do so in the near future. I wish I had done it before she left us.

I am very grateful to my sister, Karen, who spend the last few years ferrying mom to appointments, watching over her living situation and finances, and being on call for all kinds of requests. Without Karen and her husband, Roger, Mom's last few years would have been indeed difficult and Richard and I would not have been able to have followed God's call to our ministry. Thank you so much, Karen.


Mom will be missed by all of us but we were very blessed to have her in our lives all these years. And she lives on in our hearts and in her many journals, poems, and stories. Good-bye for now, my dear mommy.