Jeanette Castady

"I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD, in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD."
-Psalm 27 13:14


On August 1st, 2006 our Mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. This blog is dedicated to her.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

2 Years

It’s been 2 years since we have lived without my mom, our beautiful centerpiece. She means so much to so many who knew and loved her. It seems like yesterday she was here with us, laughing, planning, and enjoying all the blessings in her life. I know my mom is in Heaven, and that’s what gets me through, and gives me some sense of peace. Just knowing she is in God’s glory is comforting, because that’s what she deserves. But still, a day doesn’t go by that she isn’t on our minds and in our hearts, more than words could ever express. Thanks to the Lord for my mom, and every moment she blessed us with her presence here on earth. And now, I just want to share a list of a few of the many wonderful things about my mom (in NO particular order):

Her kindness
Her smile
She was 100% genuine
She LOVED the Lord!
Her willpower and discipline
Her courage to stand up for her beliefs
Her laugh
Her nicknames for us - Catarina, Boy, Beckerdoodle, Le-Cat-Beck-Dan-Georgie! (when she just couldn’t figure out who she was trying to call)… Just to name a few
Her cute way of putting together an outfit and excitement to lay it out and show you
Her voice
Her smell
She was the greatest teacher I ever had
Her unconditional love
Her good advice
Her nurturing
A hug, kiss, and a huge smile each time you saw her (even if you just saw her yesterday)
Her delicious meals, prepared with love every Tuesday - and then some!
Her reassurance that “everything will be ok”
She would never hold a grudge
She could forgive anyone anything
Her selflessness (although she definitely SHOULD have thought of herself more often if you ask me)
Walking with her
Singing with her
Her great cooking advice (I still take her advice every time I cook)
How enjoyable it was to talk to her on the phone my whole ride home from work.
She inspires me to be a better person
Our long talks about nothing
Our long talks about everything
Her encouragement
Her thoughtfulness
How FUN she was to hang out with!
How much she loved my dad
How much my dad loves her
She was a WONDERFUL wife!
She was an AMAZING mom!
Her ability to make everyone feel equally important and special in her eyes
Her ability to stay neutral – but lovingly neutral
She ADORED her grandchildren!
She took pride in her family
Her excitement about Christmas presents – to give of course, not receive
Her holiday decorations – whatever the holiday
Her LOVE for her sisters and sister-in-laws
How excited she got for any “sisters” outing or event that was coming up
Her giving nature to everyone she knew - or didn't know for that matter
She gave of herself until she could give no more.

This list could go on and on. I’m sure every person who knew her could add a hundred things of their own. I just like to remind myself of all the reasons I am lucky to have her as my mom, and I thought today of all days, it was important to share it with anyone who reads this blog also. Rest peacefully, mom, you’ll always be “the sweetest lady that ever lived” to us. We miss you and love you every day, always.

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