An Early Bird

It is 6:22 am and I am sitting here on the sidewalk in front of my house. Kelly called about five minutes ago to say that her alarm didn’t go off and she would be out in ten. So, seeing how we were supposed to leave at 6:00, and my mom is not here yet, I decided to call her. She was asleep and did know what time it was. She said she would be here in five… I told her she had ten, Kelly just called. So, I am sitting here, on the sidewalk, where I have been since 5:55 am, listening to the birds and the dogs wake up. Did you know that you can see the stars this early? Because it is STILL DARK OUT!

Today we are going to OKC for Angela’s memorial service. We went Sunday before last and I am glad we did. It was pretty hard to see her like that. This is the woman who would work the clean up crew at birthday parties, who worked 60+ hours a week at Chili’s, who was at all the kids ball games, church, neighborhood events, bible studies… she was a woman who went all the time, and always helped out. She had a true servant’s heart. . She was there in the hospital bed, mostly sleeping. She had lost a considerable amount of weight in the six weeks they had been gone. Her abdomen was swollen from where the tumor lay. Her bright eyes and beautiful smile were gone. Her eyes were dark and sunk in. And her voice seemed very different.

I have never said goodbye to someone “knowing” it would be the last time. I wanted to make sure that I got in everything that I wanted her to know. It was difficult. I held her hands and I cried. She looked at me in a way that was different than anything I had ever seen before. I was afraid that I had scared her. Kelly says she noticed the change, but thought that it was more that she understood what I was saying and knew that I truly love her. I pray that is what it was.

Michael didn’t talk to her or go close to the bed. It all really scared him. Mavrick came over to the bed and cried with me, and she called him by name and told him that it was going to be ok. He was afraid to touch her because he didn’t want to “get what she had.” That became a whole different conversation in itself…

We took the kids with us to go eat lunch. Andrew wouldn’t go. There was no one to stay with Angela at that time, and he wouldn’t leave her alone. It was fine though, we stuck all eight kids in the car and went to Chili’s. If Andrew would have gone we would have looked like a Mormon family; one husband, two wives and eight kids! Boy! That is a lot of kids!

When we got back, Lilly, Angela’s mom was there. She, too, is amazing. She has lost two children in nine months to cancer. Can you imagine how angry she could be? Yet, she is not. In the midst of this obvious pain, she seems to be able to find peace in knowing that her oldest, Tony, and her baby, Angela, are in the arms of our savior. Thinking about it breaks my heart for her. It’s not right for the kids to go before the parent – no matter what their age.

Angela Dawn Laub entered the presence of our Lord at 10:30 am on Friday, September 12th.