Most of the family (minus a few grandkids - 2 in colleges in Colorado and Washington, 2 who, as grown adults, work in distant states, and 1 who lives in Estonia) gathered to celebrate this grand achievement. She is thriving in her new apartment in a retirement community where she knows many other individuals. The facility is magnificent. I would welcome a visit anytime as they have an extensive library in the building and even a small puzzle nook. We enjoyed a family dinner in one of their private dining halls on Saturday evening:
Sunday morning, we all attended her Salvation Army corps (John and I even played in the band). The corps officer did a fine job of recognizing my mother-in-law's impact: first, she had all family members stand, then all individuals who had been touched in any way by Marilyn's generosity, witness, or influence. While my mother-in-law doesn't welcome attention drawn to herself, I think it was evidence of her intense desire to serve others.
After the service, church members gathered to celebrate her and enjoy cake together:
Several posters highlighted her full life. My boys reveled in one particular photo from the 80s, where John's hair is wavy and full - ha! Jill and her husband Bob arrived in time for us all to enjoy one more meal together in celebration (they had a wedding and couldn't make it for the first family meal on Saturday):
After a hushed word with the waitress, they brought out a huge dessert. But, I'm sure, the best gift of all for her was the joy of having so many family members gathered together in one place (something that doesn't happen often enough on my husband's side of the family).
No comments:
Post a Comment