God Bless.

Maxine, you are a brave and lovely lady who left this planet too soon.But you had the right to die with dignity which you did do.. You owned your own life and you lived it as you wished. You were extremely lucky in one way- you had beside you a man who truly loves you still. His tribute to you speaks volumes and resonates in my mind. In that one thing, you are one lucky lady. The book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible tells us 'to everything there is a reason and a time. For every purpose under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. (Ecclesiastes 3:1,2). Unfortunately your time to go did not come gently or after a long life. At least you are relieved of pain. About pain the Bible tells us (in Psalms 30: 5) that: 'Weeping may remain for a night but rejoicing comes in the morning'. Pain is endless misery which you effectively managed because pain is often associated with depression and you conquered that with such a sweet smile. The fact that you both faced your circumstances with faith is an inspiration to us all and his life is enriched by knowing you. In 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 2, Paul said that there are times when we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling. Going through the trials and suffering of life, we groan. When we become weighed down by the aches and pains of life, we groan. Like Paul, we know that when God releases us from the grip of pain, we will be ushered into the presence of Christ. We know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5: 8). By faith we believe that God will sustain us and those we love to the end. By faith we affirm that no matter what season of life, whether we are at home in the body or away, we make it our goal to please him (2 Corinthians 5: 9) and the two of you have had moments together of unfathomable value.

The Precious Gift One gift, above all others God gives to us to treasure One that knows no time, no place And one gold cannot measure. The precious, poignant, tender gift Of Memory --- that will keep Our dear ones ever in our hearts Although God gives them sleep. It brings back long remembered things A song, a word, a smile And our world's a better place - - - because We had them for awhile!