I want to tell you what has happened in my life this week. My mom, Lucille Cottrell, died on Monday. My mom was 90 years old. My father died four years ago and since that time my mom has been living in assisted living and, most recently, in a nursing home. She had dementia. Despite that, she was alert and engaged with the world around her to the end of her life. She was a very good mom, a homemaker in the literal sense of the word. When I was growing up she made our house clean. She made our clothes clean. She washed our sheets, hung them on the line and made them smell like fresh spring air. She made cookies. She made our home a good place to live.
Whenever there is a death, it takes time for our hearts and minds to comprehend what has happened. The world shifts. There is an empty place that grace, given time, will fill. Until that happens, we bumble along, searching our minds for memories that have become all the more important. Our "to do" lists become less important. I find myself sighing more. I have a lot of knowledge about grief, but that doesn’t keep me from feeling it. I can’t avoid the journey. I am working as I can and, when I need to, I go home. I am incredibly blessed with a strong family.
So I am bumbling along, preparing for the funeral. People have asked me what they can do for me. I don’t have an answer other than asking you to make a little space in your heart for my mom in these disorienting days. When I was a little girl learning about God I came across a passage from 1 John that says that "God is love." And my little girl mind reasoned, "Oh, ok. That’s why Mom loves me, because of God."
See how blessed I am?
Thank you for being the church.
Blessings,
Pastor Cindy
Pastor Cindy Hickman
West Des Moines United Methodist Church
720 Grand Ave
West Des Moines Iowa 50265
We worship at 8:30 and 11 on Sunday mornings and we would love to worship with you.
This week at WDMUMC:
Tonight! Wednesday Night Live! Tonight we will be celebrating our Generosity Adventure. For the last six months, we have stopped charging for supper and simply allowed dinner guests to be generous. As a result, of all that generosity, we will be able to provide meals for neighborhood children this summer. Tonight we will be celebrating what God is doing in our church. Come for supper (5:30). Come for the party!
National Day of Prayer Tomorrow at 6:30 am, 11:30 (with a light lunch following!) and 5:30, we will join with churches across the nation in a time of prayer. Stop by and join in for a time of prayer.
Family Science Night Friday night from 5:30-7 pm our preschool is hosting Family Science Night and you are invited. Dinner (hot dogs and mac&cheese and fruit cups) is included. Join in for an evening of experiments, games and sensory fun! Sponsored by the Early Childhood Educational Committee.
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