Gratitude in the Garden...

Hello again, it's Brenda with another planted blog post. This time I'm going to be going down memory lane with the life of my beloved sister, who I lost to colorectal cancer at the age of 54 on June 6, 2003. I want you to know who she was and what my being her little sister meant to me. 

Beverly or Bev what she preferred to be called, was the middle child in our family. She was also the one who made every effort to make any family occasion, no matter how big or small. She truly was the core of our family and the one who did so much behind the scenes. Bev was not one who lived for praise or glory. She served the Lord in her own unique way. Her life exemplified that in a big way. Anyone she came in contact with was treated with kindness and respect. I admired and looked up to her. When she was going off to college, I was starting first grade, so you see there was an age difference. 

Bev loved to read and would pretty much finish reading a book on the weekends when she would come home, even after starting her job with the state. She missed her 36th year by one day. Our similarities in life are so striking, because on June 2nd, I will be celebrating my 36th year at my present job at the clinic. 

We ended up going to the same college and even having the same 3 instructors. She went in 1966-1967 and I attended in 1978-1979. Her work study program was working for an instructor. I worked at the library, because at the time I thought my career would be to become a librarian. That turned out so much differently and I ended up in the medical field. The experience of college was good for both of us, even though we only ended up going one year. Our parents wanted us to have the experience of being out in the world for the first time. We came from a small community, so this was much different. 

Bev ended up getting placed with a job with the state in vital records. She would always say that was working with people coming and going. Bev had a great sense of humor and her giggle was described as engaging. It was like no other. She moved up in her department and at the time of her death was Deputy State Registrar for the North Dakota Department of Health. I have a laminated certified copy of my birth certificate with her signature on it. I was so proud of her and what she accomplished. 

As I mentioned in a previous planted blog post, I came from a family that loved music. Bev loved to sing and had a beautiful alto voice. She even played the piano on occasion. We used to tease her that the only song she could play was; "I Am Not Worthy" as it was one of her favorites. Speaking of music, Bev always made an effort to attend my activities in high school where I would perform solos. She asked me to sing at her wedding which was on May 28, 1988, I sang "He Has Chosen You For Me" and "My Tribute; To God Be The Glory" which was also sung at her funeral by my niece Jessica. 

After Bev got married, she still kept her apartment in Bismarck during the week and went to the farm on weekends. Bev had done a lot of things for me before she got married, like helping with errands and getting my kitchen in order after I moved to one of my apartments. You see, it was on a Saturday morning and she had a previous obligation, so was unable to help me move, which I understood. It was that afternoon when I had a knock at my door and there she was ready to help me. I hadn't asked her to do this, she just showed up. That was my sister. 

The year I started at the clinic I ended up having a surgery which involved several of my cartilages being removed from my costochondral junction, with about a 5 inch scar to prove it. It was extremely painful and had been advised to take a week off of work. It was the week of Thanksgiving and a Tuesday evening. There was a knock at my door and it was Bev asking me if I wanted to go out to dinner. She felt I needed to get out of the apartment and she was right. We went to Skippers, which was one of my favorite places back in the day. This was almost 36 years ago. Blows my mind thinking about it. 

Another time we were expecting a big snowstorm and she came by to see if I needed to go grocery shopping, as she wanted to make sure I would be stocked up before it hit. That was my sister, always the one making sure I would be taken care of. 

When Bev became sick one of the first things she did was make sure she told me that she loved me and that I would always be her little sister. Since I am the youngest, that was true. I believe she wanted to tell me this, so there would be no regrets. I tried as hard as I could to be that sister who would help her. It so happened to be colon cancer awareness month and our clinic had a booklet on that very subject. I picked it up and gave it to her. I wasn't sure what the reaction would be. I had read it first. She told me that was the most helpful piece of literature she had received. That made me feel so good that I was finally able to do something for her. I visited her in the hospital as much as possible, but had to be careful and not give her any more problems, as I had dealt with bronchitis twice that year because of my autoimmune disease. We had to gown up when visiting her, so she would not contract any more problems. She was already dealing with a kidney issue among other things.

The morning of her passing, I decided to go into work early, as I had a premonition that something was going to happen. When I called to check on my answering machine at home and had a message from my BIL Larry that she had passed, I was not surprised, just sad. I had lost my beloved sister, who encouraged and had done so much for me. I'm so grateful she was in my life and all the other ones she touched. That was evident when her co-workers came to my parents apartment and supplied a turkey dinner with all the fixings, during her illness. Bev will always be remembered for her kindness, laughter and most of all she was my big sister, who I loved and miss so much. It's been almost 21 years, but I've never forgotten about her. I cherish the memories and know she would be so proud of the person I have become. 

 I will leave you with a memory of the day Bev married the love of her life, Larry. Several others on this photo, are no longer on this earth. 5 days after this photo was taken, I started my present job at the clinic almost 36 years ago. 

Until next time, KEEP BLOOMING!

❤️ Brenda

                                                                      Taken the day of Bev and Larry's Wedding

                                                                                             May 28, 1988