This is the Eulogy I had prepared for my Aunt Anna Belle but the Holy had His way and it was changed. I wanted to share with you all what she meant to me. So here is what I had prepared for her in love and in the joy of being in her life. . .
I was asked to do my Aunt Anna Belle’s Eulogy, it brought a flood of memories. . . good life altering memories. Memories that changed my perception of life and the role I was to play in life. I knew her as ‘My Aunt Anna Belle’ stern but gentle, kind, truthful, loving and watchful. We are here to celebrate a life deserving of a celebration. A celebration of a glorious life full of hope and trust in God. She always said God could do anything but fail. She knew her limitations, but her determination to go beyond that and succeed was found in God!
How do you measure a life? How do you value a person’s life? By the moments created through time!…
The measurements used to value a life are often equated with success, riches or fame in this world. I measure the value of life by the moments spent with/in God, family, friends and even strangers; they are like pearls strung across time. We sometimes miss the moments and opportunities to string memorable pearls of memories.
My Aunt Annabelle did not miss an opportunity to string her pearls. She created memories with all of my siblings, which is a great feat in itself because there were eight of us. She made life feel adventurous with her stories. She seized the moment to invoke a change of mindset, which caused a voluntary change in behavior and attitude. This is known as repentance in the Word of God! She knew how to make you love God greater than anything in the world.
Mark 12:30-31Amplified Bible (AMP)
30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul (life), and with all your mind (thought, understanding), and with all your strength.’31 This is the second: ‘You shall [unselfishly] love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Aunt Anna Belle taught by example! She lived the life of Love. Granted, she had struggles and they were many, but through Jesus Christ she overcame and made peace with her sorrows. . .
Memories help us to direct and correct the present as we learn to respect the future.
Deuteronomy 4:9Amplified Bible (AMP)
9 “Only pay attention and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your grandchildren [impressing these things on their mind and penetrating their heart with these truths]—
Aunt Anna Belle told me Jesus loved me and that I could be great in God. Yes, my Mom and had instilled this in me at various times in my life. But she kindled the fire and kept it burning when my Mom and Dad transcended to heaven. She kept hope alive with her calls to check on my girls and me… We prayed and sometimes cried. She would call me to pray for others and had me call them to counsel and pray for their healing. She would say to me afterwards, ‘I knew you would know how to handle it.’ Her words of encouragement helped keep me focused on serving God and others.
I will forever be grateful for the confidence she patiently built in me through her persistence. I am fond of the memories we shared praying to positively impact the lives of God’s people. I cherish the relationship we had building each other up and serving God. Her love and concern for her family guided her relationship with us and I am thankful for her steady watchfulness and prayers.
She lived a glorious life, sharing so many precious moments with her beloved family and friends. Each of us holds her memory in our hearts and together we are the pearls strung across time, which she diligently placed through her nurturing love. As we gather together to celebrate her life, we see the passion she had for God’s people. We can rejoice in the success of her life’s journey because each one of us treasures a piece of her memory. Our memories of time spent together with her reveal to us that we were her life’s work and calling. Her love for God is reflected in her steadfast love for us. So we celebrate and love on one another, today as we remember the glorious life of Anna Belle Brady.
God is Love, Love conquers and covers it all….
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