My Dear Sweet Esther

Today Esther passed away Wednesday,at 4:05 p.m.  We missed seeing her by an hour exactly.  It was 5:05 p.m. when we signed in at her residence and went in to her room to see her.  As my little family huddled around her body I started to reminisce about all the things we had done with her and all that she has brought to our family.  My love for her was deeper than even I thought.  Such appreciation for her and gratitude.  It's been a true privilege.  And now I wish I'd just acted catholic and added her name into Sarah's like I'd originally thought.  Sarah Lenora Esther.  :)  Oh well.  The rest of this entry will just be a memory lane kind of entry for memory keepsake and honoring her so, fair warning.  It'll probably be my longest this year . 

When Paul and I moved to this area, we went house shopping.  The house we chose was the only one that we both knew immediately we were supposed to rent, but it wasn't exactly what we wanted.  Nevertheless, the spirit was SO strong that this was the one we were supposed to rent.  I can see clearly that it was for so many different reasons, but my dear sweet Esther was one.  We pulled up to the house the next day after seeing it (because it was shown to us in the night time and we just wanted a day time view) and as we got out there was this older lady across the road that called out, "No one lives there right now!" without hardly looking up from planting her geraniums.  We walked over to her and chuckled saying, "I think we are going to be!  Hello!"  And we introduced ourselves and I have loved her from that day on.  I think it truly began on that day.

Jonah was just a baby...10 months old.  It wasn't long before Noah and Jonah had wrapped themselves around her heart and her theirs.  She would come over and sit on the lawn with them and talk and be close to them.  She would walk down to Noah's school with me when he started Kindergarten.  She called when she was locked out of her house and had Noah pop in through a window.  She'd slip my kids dollar bills now and then too.  We shared cake on birthdays, on hot days sit in the shade together eating ice cream.  She held my babies after being born and bragged about them like they were hers.   She even walked up and down the block with me when I was in labor with Joshua just keeping me company.  How I loved her!  She attended Noah's Kindergarten play, asked them each day how school was when she saw them.  She was always who we first went to on Halloween so she could see their costumes.  When she had to eventually go into a care facility after 6 beautiful years with her living across the street she was so greatly missed!  We all committed that we would see her at least every Sunday and spend time with her without missing a day unless we were sick or out of town.  We did that for 2 years.  (Maybe just a little shy of that.)  And you know what?  I think I grew even closer to her in that time than I would have had she been across the street.  We had more conversation there than previously and I think she started to really understand our love for her.  I loved to see her eyes light up when the children walked in and she would get kisses and hugs coming and going.  She would play peek-a-boo with Sarah and was the most gracious host; being patient with bouncy kids and noise she isn't used to.  Sometimes she just looked so at peace while we were there when I least expected it.  It was precious.  My life has truly been so enriched by knowing her.   One thing I am so thankful I did (so I didn't have to regret never doing it) was to take her little face in my hands and look her straight into her eyes and tell her, "Esther, I LOVE you."  Her reply was a shy, humble, sincere, soft, tears in her eyes "Thank you.  I love you too."  She has been sewn into the tapestry of my heart forever and I hope that I can see her again someday, look into her eyes and tell her I love her again.