A bittersweet Valentine

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Last week I asked you to pray for a mother of 11 who passed away suddenly.  Apparently she was home with her three younger children, a 2 month old, 18 month old, and an almost 4 year old.  She was giving the baby a bath when she must have felt lightheaded, or had a feeling that something was about to happen.  She took the baby out of the sink, fell down and died.  The exact cause of death as far as I know has still not been determined and wasn’t readily apparent on autopsy.

The brave almost-4 year old, cleaned up the baby’s bloody nose (probably injured when he fell with his mother) and put the baby and the toddler to bed.  When one of the teens came home from school the little kid couldn’t open the door, so he had to break in and then found his mother and then everything else went into play.

As you can imagine the family is very grief stricken, and most of the homeschool and Catholic community is very saddened by the loss of this beautiful lady.  

A couple of thoughts.  Up until the last second of her life, she was following her vocation as a mom, caring for her child, bathing her baby.  Thankfully, she was able to save the baby although she was not able to save herself.  

The kid who put his younger siblings to bed is awesome.  What a problem solver and quick thinker.   That child will be one to watch.   That same child celebrated his 4th birthday the next day and they really did have a celebration, with a cake and presents, just as his mom would have wanted.  

There was a beautiful program printed for the funeral.  A family member wrote a message from Barb to her friends and family.   This part touched me:

“To my beautiful children and my loving husband.  Please know that we were all part of His magnificent plan.  He used our marriage to be a witness to all.  How beautiful it can be, when we say “yes” to His call.  God used my body as a vessel for fruitful love.  Each child a blessing, a special gift from above.”

  

On the back of the program for the funeral there is a picture of the entire family at the 4-year-olds birthday party.  There are big smiles, but there are some sad eyes there too.  The father of this family, the widower, shared these words with every one.

“Pray that with Barb’s intercession, I will be able to continue to raise our children in a godly manner the way we did as a team.  Always tell your spouse you love them.  The last conversation Barb and I had, 2 hours before her death into new life, ended with me saying: “I love you Barb”, and she said, “I love you too.”

  

This Valentine’s Day be sure to call you husband or wife up at work.  Tell them you love them.   Give your kids a hug.

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