Mrs. Haecker

We seem to give him back, Dear Lord, who gavest him to us, yet as Thou did not lose him in the giving, so we have not lost him by his return. For what is Thine is ours, always. Life is eternal and love is immortal, and what we sometimes call death is only a horizon and a horizon is nothing but the limit of our sight. Lift us up, O Lord, that we may see more clearly. Draw us closer to Thyself that we may know ourselves nearer to our beloved, who art with Thee. That where he is, and Thou art, we too, may be.

This morning Mrs. Haecker passed away.

She was the lovely mother of my lovely Aunt Liz. Mrs. Haecker was a fixture at our family gatherings and was always a warm, gentle, and charming. Towards the end of her life, Mrs. Haecker wasn't well. My mother lost her mother about a year and a half ago, so I know sort of what it feels like. In some ways, you hate to see loved ones in pain, so death can be a blessing. However, for the survivors and the children and grandchildren it doesn't necessarily feel that way. They have lost their mom and their grandmother - the one who stayed up late when they were sick and took them to school and stood by them at their weddings and played with grandchildren when they were first born and snuck them sugary snacks when their parents weren't looking. It is the mom and gram memories that make these days particularly hard. Liz, John, Sophie, Alixe, and Teddy - I am thinking about you.