Mama

My mother, Edith Maynard-Reid died on January 14, 2008, two months short of her 90^th birthday. She was born in Panama in 1918 but spent 85 of her years in Jamaica. Her funeral and interment on January 27 was a celebration of her life. To see photos of this go to this site: http://www.wallawalla.edu/campus-life/spiritual-life/gallery/edith-maynard-reid. My nephew has a great site with a great slideshow that was shown at the funeral, and a video of the funeral itself: http://edithmaynardreid.info/.

At the President’s Cabinet this week, Dr. McVay asked me what was possibly the most memorable moment of the celebration. I reflected for a moment and said, “As my brothers and I stood together at the graveside.” It was a proud moment for me – pride in what Mama had done in bringing up three boys as a single mom. We grew up poor in one room, outdoor (i.e. detached from the living quarters) pit toilet, outdoor kitchen and bath facilities. But Mama taught us three basic things: 1. Put Jesus first (it was all about Jesus – the title of my sermon for the funeral); 2. Put others next, especially the poor and marginal; 3. Have self esteem, keep your head high, don’t let anybody keep you down, and aim for the highest. As I stood there, I knew that she went to her grave satisfied that her work was done and her desire was accomplished.

I trust that you can listen to the Service to hear some snippets of a life well lived. It is my prayer that when it is my time to depart this life, I can look back on my life as one that positively impacted others as much as Mama’s did.