Dear Mom....

This is from the newspaper clipping in the Austin newspaper or the funeral website. I forget which.

Sha-Li Cheung of Austin, TX, formerly from Ohio and Taiwan, died on Sunday, May 4, 2008. She will be missed dearly by her family: her husband, David; children, Elise Neill (and husband John), Esther Cheung, Samuel Cheung; her grandchildren, Asia and Zachary; along with many other family members and friends. Her life was a life of expressing Christ to all who knew her – in her cooking, in her singing, in her caring.

Sha-Li enjoyed baking and decorating cakes in her kitchen while listening to hymns CDs. Her home was always open for friends to stop by for dinner or conversation. Her caring and generosity was a major part of her service in the Church in Austin. Services will be held at 1 pm on Saturday, May 10, 2008 at Wilke-Clay-Fish Funeral Home, 2620 South Congress, Austin, Texas. The burial will follow at Onion Creek Memorial Park.

This is from my mom's funeral, my little eulogy. I've been putting off adding this to my blog because it makes me sad, but I'd like to put it in now as a dedication to my mom. I miss her so much.

******

Dear Mom,

I miss you. I miss you telling my kids to eat their vegetables, and then making them a chocolate cake with strawberries. I miss you reminding my kids of the starving people in China. I miss your cooking. Thank you for leaving dumplings in my freezer and the peapods from your garden. I wish I could have spent more time with you, writing down your recipes. I figured I had all the time in the world. I always envied your garden. Why didn’t I inherit your green thumb? You would send me pictures of your vegetables growing, taking over the whole yard. I would plant the long beans and peapod seeds that you sent to me in the mail and then watch them bear perhaps two or three measly beans. I wondered whether it was that Texas weather or just your miracle touch.

I was going through your purse the other day and I got more of a glimpse of just who my Mother was - besides being the one who nurtured me, gave me character, and fed me. There were Mystery of Human Life gospel tracts. I could see you reading those with ones seeking something more in life. There was a well-used address book. Sam, Esther, and I were in there quite a few times from all of our moving around. There were pieces of paper with brothers’ and sisters’ names on it, receipts of some sort. You were active, Mom. To the day you died, you were so involved in the church life, in family life, and you even left some time for yourself – to learn to decorate cakes and grow a garden.
You weren’t supposed to leave yet. Not for at least another 20 years. But Mom, you lived your life to the fullest. I’ll miss you.

And then I added a PS that I spoke in the eulogy. It really was something I added in the morning of the funeral. I had typed out my eulogy the night before.

P.S. I thought that if something like this would ever happen, I would be so angry at the Lord. Forsake Him or something. Instead, I feel the Lord's arms around me, holding me firmly and whispering, "Do you still love Me?" I have to answer, with no hesitation, "Yes, Lord, I still love You. I want my mom bad, but Lord, I do love you."