No More Pain

Tomorrow we celebrate the Home-going

 of my sweet lady.

 I called her, Sweet Lady because 

there's no better way to describe her.

She was as sweet as sugar. 

She always kissed me when I walked in the door.

She expressed her love and appreciation freely,

said, "I love you," often.

There are givers and there are takers.

Yesterday, I heard more than one person say, 

"Mrs. Martha was a giver."

She kept cakes and pies in the freezer

to give away.

Today, I enjoyed a slice of one of her pies.

Mr. John, her husband, brought home a 

whole country-cured ham one day.

It wasn't a whole ham for very long.

Every time there was a need,

Mrs. Martha would cut off some ham, 

make some biscuits, and give them away.

One day, Mr. John got an inkling for some cured ham.

He said, "Martha, I think I want you to fry me some

 of that ham I bought awhile back."

She sheepishly brought out what was left.

Her daughter said, 

"I wish you could have seen the look on his face."

Mr. John liked to ride horses.

Mrs. Martha preferred the buggy

so he would take her riding.

The family rode motorcycles together.

Of course, she preferred the two-seater.

He drove, she rode.

She worked at the local drug store

during the soda fountain days. 

She enjoyed working and making the children

coke floats and cherry sodas. 

She was a homemaker

who was purely devoted to her husband 

and her children and they were

devoted to her. 

Mr. John passed away a few years ago.

She told me many times, 

"You know I can feel him right here beside me.

There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of him."

Several times, over the past couple of weeks,

I saw her look up, reach up and smile.

Maybe she had a glimpse of what was waiting

for her on the other side.

What I remember most about Mrs. Martha is her smile.  

Even when she was the closest to death, she smiled.  

Even with her body writhing in pain, she still smiled.

During the final days of her life,
with a cracked voice I would sing,
she would smile.
I would read the Bible,
she would smile.

She loved the Lord, her family, her church,
all people, all children, young and old.

She knew pain down here.

Where she is at, there is no more night,

no more tears, no more pain, 

no more crying again.

Thank you, Mrs. Martha for making an impact on my life.