Carmen's Mother

My mother liked to sing the song "Amazing Grace". The words meant so much to her. At her funeral, my niece Elizabeth sang a moving rendition of the song. Mom would have been pleased. She loved to sing hymns and would often sit at the piano and play at the end of the day. Many times, I would join her in singing, along with other family members. As we sang the great hymns of Christendom, we strengthened our own faith.

My mother loved her children. She had eight who lived, and she knew the sorrow of losing one at birth. Her Christian faith sustained her during that difficult time. She said that nothing could take the place of a lost child. She didn't live to see her latest grandchild, little Cameryn, but she would have prized her with the others. Now she has a great-grandchild who is her namesake, little Evy. After the death of her husband, my father, she entered the workplace and sacrificed to keep her family of eight together.

Flowers were a joy to my mother. She always wanted to smell them and appreciated their beautiful colors, and delicate form. Two of her favorite songs were "Where the Roses Never Fade" and "He's the Lily of the Valley." My mother believed in the Christian promise of heaven, where the roses would never fade and where she would see the "Lily of the Valley," her Lord Jesus Christ. In April of 1999, she went to be with him.

My mother loved to read her Bible, having read it through three times before leaving her teens. One of her great legacies was instilling in her children a knowledge of right and wrong based on God's word. She often quoted Scripture as she went about her daily tasks. She loved the whole Bible, favoring the Psalms, Proverbs, the Gospels, and Revelation. I thank her for showing me God's word.

My mother could play most stringed instruments, often singing and playing guitar for her children. She even taught me to play simple folk tunes on the guitar. She had both an acoustic guitar and an electric one, with a large speaker. In her earlier years, she sang and played guitar and bass viol with a local orchestra. Also playing the violin, she was a woman of broad musical talent.

Mom was also good at playing a keyboard. Although she did have a portable keyboard, she learned to play on both organ and piano. For years, she served as pianist for her church. In later years she played for one of the service organizations she had joined. Self-taught, she could play both by ear and by notes. Often when I went home, Mom would sit down and play, and we would sing.

My mother liked to bake. She was known for making the best pie crusts and yeast rolls for miles around. She also made excellent bread. In her younger days, she used to make bread twice a day--once in the early morning and once in the afternoon. In addition, she made cookies, cakes, and many other baked goods. She always found time to make a birthday cake for each of the birthdays of her eight children.