On October 10th, we remembered our mother, Susan Elaine (Smith) Cantrell with her family and around 100 of her friends. It was a touching memorial. We continue to be amazed by the number of people she touched and the impact she had on others’ lives.
The service included specific passages she asked to be read and hymns she requested. In her true style, all were designed to remind us about her life priorities and her hopes for us in the future. The following is the program from the service:
Meg spoke in honor of both our mom, and her first grandchild. These are Meg’s words:
Sometime in the next four weeks my family will welcome Sue’s first grandchild into the world. I’m guessing this isn’t a surprise to you. I’ve been told it was one of her favorite topics over the last 6 months.
While my child will not know her grandma, she will be blessed with my mother’s genes and all the power that comes with them.
When things get tough, my daughter may find herself with the willpower she needs to succeed. You see, my mom refused to let life’s challenges slow her down. She turned financial struggles into financial independence and an opportunity to help other women. She refused to accept cancer as diagnosed and instead found herself in an unheard of remission and was able to live far beyond original expectations.
My daughter might gain my mother’s generosity. Her grandma’s favorite holiday was Thanksgiving because she so enjoyed welcoming every misfit from our lives for a family feast. She spent her time looking for ways to help those around her and expected nothing less from her family and friends.
Or, my daughter might find one day that she is often called opinionated or perhaps more kindly, strong-willed. While my husband Blake and I might find this inheritance tough to appreciate it will serve her well. My mom used this gift to move mountains. She believed strongly that every child deserved every chance to succeed. She was not willing to accept any other answer. She loved teaching 5th and 6th graders because she believed it was the moment a child most needed extra love, guidance and encouragement. She felt it was the moment she could make the biggest difference in their lives.
Alternatively, she might inherit mom’s ability to overcome (or perhaps ignore) pain. My mother did not acknowledge those things that were designed to slow her down. She walked on a broken foot in Australia for 6 weeks and traveled with a broken arm that required surgery in Argentina because she still had more to see and do. Personally, I’m hoping I have a little of this in me as I suspect I’ll need it in the very near future.
And when Blake and I find ourselves frustrated because our daughter spends more time exploring the world then hanging out at home, we will again remember her Grandma Sue. Who believed that diversity in our world – both immediate and far-reaching – is essential to our success as a human race. For her, traveling the world was about so much more than seeing the sights, it was about learning how others lived and what guided their lives.
There are so many wonderful traits that Grandma Sue might have passed on to my little girl, and I am so thankful for each one. They will remind me of her grandma and what a wonderful tough woman she was. There is no doubt that we will miss her, but we are so grateful to have had every moment with her that we did.
Last, my brother and I would like to thank each of you for the roles you played in her life. The last few years have been really hard for her and we know, it was the friendship, love and prayers that you provided that helped boost her in the worst of times. While it will always seem unfair that she left us at this moment, we are confident that she lived her life to it’s fullest. We ask in her memory that you carry her goals forward and when you can, empower a struggling child to succeed, lend a hand to a woman in need and when it seems hardest, accept that our diversity is what makes us stronger.
On November 4th at 12:45am, Sue’s granddaughter, Hannah Rue Pickett entered our world. She weighed 6.6 lbs and measured 20 inches. We couldn’t be more pleased. She’s healthy and beautiful and already reminds us of her Grandma Sue.
