My mom just passed away recently. It was a very quick death; the result of a fast-moving cancer. We had no idea that she was so sick; neither did she. I am thankful, however, that she loved God. I am assured of her salvation. I know that I will see her again someday and that gives me some comfort. But still, I miss her in my life here on earth.

After her funeral, my sister and I began the painful process of going through her things and deciding who would get what. I am grateful that it went smoothly; there were no arguments about who would get her china or jewelry. She had a lot of valuables but mostly it was sentimental items that we wanted. Each one of us, my brother, sister and I, had our own special memories of one thing or another and so it was healing to go through each item and remember.

The best thing about that time, though, was the time we spent with each other, my family and I, remembering. I think my mom probably liked that as she paused in her rejoicing from heaven and watched us. Later, as I told this to a friend, she began to reflect on how important family is; that there really is nothing more valuable than family.

Family really is more important than anything. I thought about my mom and her