Here are my mom's notes from her eulogy.
"I want to begin by thanking all of you for the many ways you have shown your support for our family at this time. We appreciate your love, your prayers and kind words tremendously! Thank you for your love!
When I made the birthday invitation for Mom's 100th birthday party, I included the scripture found in Psalm 100. I want to invite you to stand with me to read Psalm 100 together. I have asked my son, Joe Holloway to lead the men reading verses 1,3,& 5 and the ladies will read verses 2 & 4 with me.
Responsive Reading of Psalm 100.
Thank you, you may be seated.
That chapter ends with the phrase: "His truth endures to all generations." God's Word applies to all generations. It applies to these great-grandchildren that you see here today and to future generations as well.
This morning I want to take a few moments to focus verse 2 which begins with the phrase: "Serve the Lord with Gladness."
Most people think the word gladness is an adjective, describing the way we should do the work that pleases the Lord. But one of Mom's nicknames was Gladness. Mom got that nickname after a little girl at a church that Mom attended mispronounced the name Gladys. When that child called Mom "Gladness", some of the others started calling Mom Gladness too because the name just fit. So in this service I want invite you to serve the Lord with Gladness, or serve the Lord with Gladys.
What was special about the way Mom served the Lord?
I have heard several of you mention that Mom had a beautiful smile. But have you ever wondered what made Gladys radiate so much joy?
Was it because she had a life that was easy and filled with nothing but blessings?
The home I grew up in had many blessings, but actually Mom's life was quite difficult. And it wasn't just because she lived through the Great Depression or because of the three and half years she spent as a Prisoner of War during WWII.
As a child Mom did not feel fully accepted by her parents. I don't think that either of her parents intended to make Gladys feel unwanted or inferior, but she felt rejection for several reasons.
One problem was that was that Mom was born left handed at a time when parents tried to force all their children to use their right hand. One time when I was talking to my Mom on the phone she told me about seeing Nick Vujicic on TV. Nick is a man who was born with no arms and no legs, but he overcome the challenges of his life with help from Jesus Christ. He graduated from college with two degrees, and started a public speaking career at 19 and started a non-profit 'Life Without Limbs.' The day Mom told me about the the man she saw on TV who had no arms, she also told me that as a child she thought it would have been better if she had been born with no hands. She told me, "I thought it was awful that I was born left-handed!" Her older sister mocked and teased her time after time because she was left handed. It didn't help that her parents also tried to force Gladys to use her right hand.
Another incident contributed to Mom feelings of low self-esteem.
When Mom's big sister, Esther, was 7 years old, she asked for watermelon for her birthday party that was in September, and they had watermelon.
Mom decided she wanted to have watermelon for her birthday too, in fact she prayed for watermelon. When Mom was 96 years old, we had a birthday party for my Mom with watermelon. We also had watermelon gifts, and a cake that looked like watermelon. Let me quote from her journal where she wrote about the prayer that was answered 92 years later.
"I was only four but I prayed to have watermelon on my birthday. I prayed practically every day for watermelon. But my birthday was a long time away - not until March. Finally March came and my birthday, but NO watermelon. I was too young to understand that in those days, 1920, nobody in Michigan had ripe watermelon. None in the patch and none in the stores."
As a child, Mom grieved, not just because she longed for the taste of the watermelon, but because she assumed that her parents did not give her
Mom had several health problems as a child. Mumps, measles, chicken pox, and more than once Mom was told that she had missed too many days of school to be promoted to the next grade. So when fall came, she started class with students who were younger. That was humiliating. Fortunately, after a few weeks in the classroom with younger students, Mom's teachers recognized that somehow she had learned that material even with excessive absences and so was promoted back to her own grade.
For several years my Mom's mother, Ina Knowles was bed-ridden, unable to turn herself in the bed and so my great grandmother, Lovina Woodworth, lived with them and helped take care of them.
Mom grew up in the era when children were to be seen and not heard, and Mom said that in her home the discipline was often administered in a way that made her feel resentful and angry.
One time after being punished she climbed out of her second story bedroom window and ran away. She stayed out for several hours, but as night fell she didn't feel safe on the streets and went back home.
Another time there was an incident prompted Mom to say some very angry words to her grandmother. Mom told her grandmother, "I hate you!" I don't know if I ever heard the story about what triggered that remark, but it wasn't long after that conversation that Gladys learned her grandma was dying with TB.
All the Knowles children were sent to other homes. Mom deeply regretted saying, "I hate you" to her grandmother. She wanted to go to her grandmother and say she was sorry for those angry words. But TB was a contagious disease and they would not let her go back into the house. Mom never saw her grandmother again. And Mom's heart ached and felt shame for saying something so terrible. I've also heard my Mother say that she hated herself when she was a child.
So if Mom's life wasn't filled with joy when she was a child, how come she had a contagious joy as an adult?
Shortly after Gladys' grandmother died, her mother was marvelously healed and her family started attending a Pentecostal church. They attended church a lot. And her parents started a mission where people who were hungry during the Great Depression could come hear a gospel message and get some food.
So Mom had to go to church too; she heard stories about Jesus. She learned some of the Bible stories, but she didn't really know Jesus wanted to be her personal friend until she was a teenager.
One night when Mom was 15 years old, she was sitting in the back of the church and not really listening to the sermon, which was her custom. But a girl from Mom's school visited the church that night and she came and sat down beside Mom. Mom's friend did listen and when the preacher invited anyone who wanted to know Jesus better to come to the front, that girl turned to Mom and said, "Would you go with me to the altar?"
Mom wasn't actually interested in going to the altar to pray, but since her friend asked her to go with her, she got up and started down the aisle. When they reached the row where my Mom's mother was sitting, my grandmother whispered to my Mom, "I have been praying for this for a long time."
At first mom felt indignant and she said to herself - "She thinks I am going to the altar to pray for me." But before she could finish the sentence with, "the only reason I am coming to the altar is because my friend wants me to go with her." She heard God speaking to her heart. "Yes, Gladys. For You! YOU need to come to the altar."
And when Mom arrived at the altar, she began to cry, and the Lord continued to speak to her heart. She heard the Lord saying, "Gladys, I love you. Gladys, I forgive you. Gladys, I accept you just the way you are. Gladys, I have a plan for you. I love you. I value you."
Let's bow our heads for just a moment. If you will open your ears and listen, I believe you will hear the same message from God that my Mom heard. This morning God wants to speak to you. If you will listen I believe you will hear God saying, "I love you.... I want to forgive you..... I love you.... I accept you just the way you are.... I have a plan for you.... I love you.... I value you...."
Mom said she prayed for a long time that night; it was nearly mid-night when she went back home. She went back to church the next night and the next to listen and to pray again, and she decided right then that she wanted to spend the rest of her life working for the things that please the Lord.
Psalm 100:2 challenges us to serve the Lord with Gladness. I challenge you to serve the Lord with Gladys. I pray that you will also decide to do the work that pleases God.
The two songs that we have chose as congregational songs for this service were Mom's favorite songs: "Jesus Loves Me," and "Just As I Am." Robert, would you come and lead all of us in singing the hymn, "Just as I Am".
More than anything, the reason Mom had a beautiful smile was because she realized that Jesus loved her. She realized God wanted her even though she was left-handed, and even though she had felt unloved, and inferior. She realized God loved her and He had a plan for her life.
And God loves you! He accepts you. He has a plan for your life. And you can come to him just the way you are!
Congregational Song: Just As I Am."
