Words of Truth

Well, we got back from the funeral on Saturday afternoon, I took a nap, then went to work all night Saturday. I had only gotten a 2 hour nap, so I was exhausted during church. Went home at 1pm and slept for four hours in afternoon. The funeral went well. Several people got up to say what they remembered about Mary. Then I got up at the end to read a few verses and close in prayer, but I added something to that. I gave a few of my own memories, some good, some strange, but most funny. I remembered her shopping habits, stamping obsession, and other things. I said that she even roped me into stamping a few times. Here’s a little of what I said:

“I am Mary’s son-in-law. I have been her son-in-law for eleven years. Most of you know that Mary loved rubber-stamping. She had a passion for it. I was talking with my wife about this a few weeks ago, and we realized that she has been doing this for about ten years. But Mary has been stamping longer than that. I don’t know much about stamping techniques, but even I got roped into making cards a few times. From that experience, I can tell you that “stamping” is where you press something onto a blank surface, and leave a mark that other people can see. Mary has been stamping for decades, leaving impressions of herself on almost everyone she met.
She is my mother-in-law, and though we did not always agree, I can say we always loved each other and I am privileged to know her. I can’t wait until I get to heaven and get the chance to know her even better. I know that she is in heaven because she spoke openly of her faith often. She knew that she was a sinner, that Jesus Christ had died on the cross to take her punishment away. She knew that because she had trusted in Him as Savior, that she was now forgiven and could go to heaven on her death. I know that nothing would give her greater joy right now than if one of you, the people she loves, were to trust in Christ with that same faith.”

Then I read Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

MARY RAE SMITH Hobart, Indiana Age 63, was born on December 25, 1942 in Blue Island, IL. The beloved daughter of Dorothy Goodwin and the late Raymond Fremouw Goodwin. Mary went to be the Lord on July 22, 2006, due to complications of a sudden illness. Mary accepted Christ as her Savior as a young girl and served the Lord all her life. She was a graduate of Cedarville College and taught elementary school for several years. She was married on June 15, 1968, to Denver Eugene Smith of West Virginia, and recently celebrated 38 years of marriage. She was a loving mother and homemaker. She enjoyed being actively involved in Central Baptist Church through AWANA clubs, Sunday school and the choir. She was a faithful member of the Ladies’ Missionary Fellowship and loved hosting missionary families. She enjoyed many types of crafts over the years including knitting and crocheting. She was an avid seamstress for many years. Most recently, she loved teaching the art of rubber stamping and scrapbooking. She is survived by her husband, Denver Eugene Smith and their three daughters, Karen, Kimberly, , Katherine, and 3 grandchildren Nathan, Stephanie, and Rebekah. Also survived by two brothers, George (Joyce) Goodwin of CA, and James (Mary) Goodwin of IN, and sister Joy (Daniel) Freundt of TN. Visitation will be held at Rees Funeral Home, 600 West Old Ridge Road, Hobart, IN, on Thursday, July 27, 2006 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 28, 2006 at Central Baptist Church, 704 W. 700 N., Hobart. Cremation will follow at Calvary Crematory, Portage. No graveside services will be held. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in Mary’s name in care of Rees Funeral Home.

Well, my mother-in-law passed away tonight. I was at work, and I got the call from my wife around 9pm that she had “coded” and they were trying to bring her back. She then called me a half-hour later to tell me that her mom had died. This is all a shock to us, since Mary (that’s her name) had just flown out to Utah on Monday for this week-long business conference, and she was alive when she left. Now she isn’t. Thankfully, we know where she is, because she had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, so we will see her again, but who know when that will be. My pastor reminded my wife and I of the verse in I Thessalonians where it says that we “sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” Kim’s sister and her dad are flying back from Utah tomorrow, but the funeral will probably not be until the end of the week.

My wife’s mother called her yesterday at midnight to ask what she should do regarding her health status. She was at a business convention in Salt Lake City. She has diabetes, but she controls it with diet. Her blood sugar (usually in the low 100’s), was around 300, and she had a temp of 104. I said that she should go to the emergency room right away. Well, she didn’t go until noon on the 20th, and I guess they did a bunch of tests and found out that she has pneumonia….and that’s not the bad news. She also has acute leukemia.

I haven’t gotten any more details than that, and so my research up to this point has been kind of generalized, but it doesn’t look good, from what I can tell. It looks like the remission rate is over 50% IF (and this is a big if) you are under 35 years old. She is 63. So I don’t know what her prognosis would be. Right now we are trying to deal with figuring out a way to get her from Utah back to Indiana, so she can be in a hospital here.

Those of you who are Christian believers, please pray for her and the rest of the family. Her name is Mary Smith. Thanks in advance!