Grief and Gratitude

October 18, 2009

For those who follow me on Facebook, you already know my mom passed away this past week and I know I’m one of the fortunate ones. I had a good mother. A wonderful one. The best.

I’m grateful Mom’s passing was gentle and without pain. I’m grateful that along with my brothers and sister I had a couple days to tell her I loved her over and over, to hold her hand, and to say goodbye even though goodbye was the last thing any of us wanted to say. I’m grateful that Mom’s spirit has now joined with God’s and all those loved ones, including my dad, who have gone before. I’m grateful I had my mom for 52 years of my life. I’m grateful for her love, for her humor, for her strength, for her thoughtfulness, and the steady witness of her faith. I’m grateful for the example of a life well-lived before God and others.

All I know to do to move through this time is to hold both gratitude and grief together and to remember that “for everything there is a season.”

And in all seasons, even in hardship and loss, God is present still.

I’ll be taking another week away from blogging as my family and I prepare for my mom’s memorial service. Thank you for understanding, and for all those who have held me in your prayers and surrounded me with comforting words during this past week, my heartfelt thanks.

✛ ✛ ✛ ✛ ✛ ✛ ✛

March 1, 1924 – October 13, 2009

Virginia Mae Cadonau, 85, went to be with the Lord on October 13, 2009 surrounded by three generations of family who will always love her and be grateful for the honor of calling her Mom, Grandma, and Great Grandma.

Virginia Mae Wilson was born March 1, 1924 in Granada, Colorado and spent her early years in Washington State along with her brothers Duane, Willard, and Darrell. She met her husband, Carl Henry Cadonau at Portland Foursquare Church where they were both active in the church band. They were married on May 3, 1944 at Harvard Memorial Chapel in Cambridge, Massachusetts where Carl was stationed during WWII. She deeply missed Carl since his passing in June 2004 and cherished a life-time of memories they had together.

Virginia was devoted to living out her Christian faith within her household and through involvement in church life, serving for ten years as the president of the Portland chapter of the UFW (United Foursquare Women). Along with her husband, Virginia invested her heart and energy into nurturing the lives and faith of young people by teaching the High School class at their church. They then went on in the early 1970’s to spend the following decade teaching some of those same young people in the College Career Class. During those years Virginia established a close relationship with many of the young people by sending them notes of encouragement, listening to their joys and troubles over a corner table in a restaurant, and never shying away from giving them straightforward motherly advice softened by genuine compassion. She remained in regular contact with many of her “kids” over the years who were counted among those who filled the hospital waiting room in the last hours before her passing. To these she will lovingly be remembered as Mom C.

She will also be remembered by a circle of individuals that extended far beyond her immediate family and cherished life-long friends for the greeting cards they regularly received from her to mark every celebration and hardship of life. There were also the countless notes sent for no reason other than to offer a word of encouragement in someone’s day and let them know they were being thought of and loved. This part of her life was only one example of Virginia’s gracious spirit and the selfless thoughtfulness that touched so many lives.

Virginia loved spending time on the Oregon Coast. She was an avid reader who always had several books going at once and who never failed to read the newspaper from start to finish every day. She enjoyed reading through emails from her family and friends, early evening dinners with her sister-in-law Anita Birkland, and she considered ice cream an essential part of life.

Virginia is lovingly remembered by her children, Carl Cadonau Jr., Randall Cadonau, Barbara Deeming and Anita Cadonau-Huseby, their spouses, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren who will greatly miss her.

A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, October 23, 2009, at Portland Foursquare Church. In lieu of flowers, donations in Virginia’s name may be directed to Portland Foursquare Church to support the outreach ministry of “weJourney.”

Posted in Anita