I had a difficult time restraining the laughter and my sister was shaking beside me. It was most definitely not the time to be laughing, front row of my mother’s funeral. But the pastor who barely knew my mother kept referring to her using my sister’s name. It was amazing how that struck us as funny despite the somberness of the occasion. Afterwards as we were discussing the episode with our family, our aunt said that our mom would have been laughing, too. She often found humor in serious situations and would inspire others to laugh in spite of circumstances.
During her illness, I thought a lot about my childhood and the lessons she taught me. One was her sense of humor no matter how hopeless the situation. I think that was due to the fact that she believed in a God who could do anything. And if He chose not to, she knew she was going to a much better place. There were times of sadness and pain, but none of despair. And even though her funeral was a sad occasion, it didn’t feel hopeless.
Another lesson I recalled was how important prayer was to her. I can remember many times that she would be sitting in her chair reading the Bible and praying. She taught me to pray so early in life that I don’t even remember it. I’ve just always prayed.
My mom often told me that she had prayed for two little girls from the time she was a child herself. Her goal in life had always been to be a wife and mother. And even though she was nearly forty years old when she had me, she never doubted that God would answer her prayer. It took a lot of faith to pray for something for over twenty years.
In a strange way, I’m thankful for the experience of my mom’s cancer. It brought me back to the faith of my childhood. Through my mom’s sickness and death, I’ve grown as a Christian and remembered the importance of prayer. And through the sorrow, I have the knowledge that I will see her one day in Heaven. My greatest desire is to learn from her example. She left behind a powerful legacy of prayer and faith and I know God will say to her “Well, done my good and faithful servant.”
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Thanks for sharing this experience. I had a similar situation with the death of my brother's wife. The pastor kept calling my name as the deceased and needless to say everyone there was doing their best not to laugh. Each time he called my name, my nephews would look at me and grin (gritting their teeth to keep from laughing) My sister-in-law (the deceased) would have also laughed. I still get a chuckle when I remember the incident. GOD BLESS YOU
