Today my best friend‘s Mom died. Mike and I have been friends since I was in the 10th grade – aeons ago, in 1987. For those years of high school and afterwards, Mrs. Liptak was a lot like a Mom to me. I spent many nights at the Liptak house and ate many meals there. Mrs. Liptak always welcomed me, announced or unannounced… I always felt welcome in her home and loved to be there.
There’s a lot I could say about this woman (and just maybe I will someday) – but what has always struck me about her was her devotion to Mike and Bill. You see, she raised these two boys all on her own – she sacrificed much for them and was a great Mom. She was a pretty good Grandma too… One of my first memories of her with one of the grandchildren, Cory was about 2 or 3. She brought out some old chaps of Mike’s (I think they were Mike’s) and put them on Cory who then blazed around the apartment, sans undergarments. She certainly loved those grandkids – loved to be with them and spoil them with presents (as I recall).
I had the opportunity to sit with Mrs. Liptak for a couple hours this past Thursday and read scripture to her (from the KJV, ‘cause I was pretty sure she would have liked that) – it was really hard to see her in the condition she was in… and I was reminded again of how much I hate death and how glad I was that this was not the end for my “2nd Mom”, that soon she would not feel any more pain and wouldn’t have to work anymore but would finally be wholly at peace.
One of the passages I read to her was 1 Corinthians 15, which ends with this:
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, Mrs. Liptak – your struggle is over. Thank you for your example. Your sons will miss you (all three, it’s ok if I include myself, right?) and will remember you until the day we are reunited.
