Freck!

I got very sad news this morning. My son's great-grandmother, Nell Swanson, took her final breath this morning. My son loves so many people unconditionally, and with all his heart, that not only did my heart break because, well, it is sad to lose someone you care about, but it is even harder to see your child in pain.

Who was "Maw-Maw Freck"? She was a Christian woman who loved her family and God and had very hard times in her life, but made the best of them. She was a mother of 6 and while some of the youngest of those six were still living at home she became a widow. I have heard her mention her sense of loss even after all these years when she speaks of Marshall, but I never remembering hearing her complain about becoming a young widow.

I know her parents died young, she never had a drivers license, and she worked in the local mill. She had a small two bedroom house, and how the heck she made it work with six kids, or produced six kids, I will never know.

She smiled and laughed and joked about being grumpy, and I suppose on many occasions she was. She loved her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and beyond. Was she perfect? Not anymore than you and me. But she was who she was. She was loved, adored, respected, and probably at times, disliked (moms are like that).

I think she would be very satisfied with passing on Easter. She loved God and going to church. Heck, she loved going anywhere. I used to laugh that for her not to have a car or license she sure was gone a lot. People would stop by just to see if she wanted to go somewhere with them, they were happy to take her shopping, or to appointments, or wherever she needed to go.

RIP Maw-Maw Freck. I will remember you fondly for the rest of my life.