She Prepared Us for the Day.

“The Memory of the Righteous is Blessed…..”-Proverbs 10:7

As we prepare for the homegoing service of my “special son”, my husband’s son Matthew, I think of the many conversations my mother had with us including my younger nieces and nephews of the day she would no longer be here. I remember the times when we would gather on a special occasion and my mother would find a way to announce “You know one day I am not going to be here.” We didn’t find it funny then but we laugh about it now how the grandchildren would go missing and we would hear them singing in her room circled around her bed while she orchestrated “My God Is Awesome”, the song that ended up being song by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren at her funeral. There were times they would exit her room looking sad and some would even be crying. The first time it happened we asked them in our distraught voices “What’s the matter with you! and Why are you all crying! ” They would answer while crying “Great-Ma say she gonna die!” We would be upset and even ask her, “Mom why are you telling them this?” She would answer looking straight into our eyes, “Well I Am and I want them to be prepared to handle it when that day comes.”

#SALUTE TO MATTHEW-“To Die Young”.

Several times, I recall going through our big white family bible where she recorded the deaths and births of family members from time to time and running into “that” obituary written in red ink. To this day I never understood why it was written in red ink.

When she first presented it to us, of course, we brushed it off with “really mom” or “we really don’t want to hear it, mom”. However, she always stated it was necessary and she was serious and we would appreciate it just in case. We were blessed that we never had to plan her funeral when we were children because she lived until she was almost 86 years old, even outliving her two sons.

When that day came we knew what to do and although those same grandchildren who had exited her room crying because she had told them she was going to die, were sad and yes they were crying, but they gathered around her bed taking their turn to hug her goodbye after she had finally taken her last breathe. At that moment we were thankful for those many times she let them know that the day was coming when she would not be around and just as grateful, that we knew who to call and who would be speaking at her funeral because she had prepared ALL of us.

And yes the grandchildren stood next to her casket singing just as she had asked them to do singing, “My God Is Awesome”. Her first cousin recited Maya Angelou as she had requested her God Children delivered on another song she requested “Open the Flood Gates of Heaven, Let it rain”, and just as he and his sister were singing we could hear the rain pouring down. Another rewarding treat was to have some of her Boggs great friends/family from Illinois attend and speak over my mother. We sat there beaming with pride to hear her reiterate to some who attended my mother’s funeral just how hard she worked and how smart she was to have accomplished the many milestones of life.

I feel like she was there to greet Matthew, along with my brothers because that is just something they would do.

The( JTJ )Jeanette -Terry -Jeffery Family Memorial Scholarship has been awarded to 3 students since starting 3 years ago.