Mary "Colleen" Jibson Justus
My Sister, Kat sent me this picture of a few little daffodils she saw tonight at our home in Utah. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, daffodils make me happy and renew my hope for new life.
Perhaps that is what is giving me the strength to finally share my heart with you tonight. I've been struggling for several weeks with the knowledge that my mother is very ill with cancer once again. This is her third battle with this horrible disease since 2008 but this time she is
courageously looking forward to returning Home to our Heavenly Parents
and reuniting with her son, Billy and her husband and parents
and all those ancestors who have influenced her life for good.
She is an amazing woman of great faith and I love her with all my heart.
I know that all of you who know her love her too and I am so grateful for that!
Mom had surgery last Monday to remove a very large aggressive tumor
from her neck/throat that was interfering with her
swallowing, breathing, vocal chords, salivary glands, etc.
We all knew that this would not save her life but perhaps extend it long enough
to be able to do a few fun things on her bucket list before she leaves us.
So now I need to admit that this has been an emotional roller coaster for me!
Mom has been our greatest support for Tom and I serving this mission!
She still is, even though she knows that we are so far away and won't be with her
while she is taking this last journey. I've always been there to help.
BUT I know that this is where the Lord wants us to be.
I'm so very grateful for my Sister and my Brother and our children for the tender
loving care they are surrounding Mom with. My prayers are being answered.
But it is still so HARD!
This is how I want to remember my mom!
and Roller Skating with me and her Visiting teachers
at 74 years old! She was so happy that day!
This was the reality of her surgery last week....smiling and hopeful!
My Sister, Kat and Brother, Gary by her side after the surgery.
So I decided to make a little tribute in photos for Mom while she is still with us!
Aunt Barbara and Mom
Mom, Grandma and Grandpa Jibson, Barbara and John
Mom as a young girl standing by their 15 foot trailer that was their home
while Grandpa built roads in Idaho, Utah through Nevada to California
At the beach in California
Graduating from Washington High School in Fremont, CA
A new mom at 18 years old
Mom, her sister, Barbara and Mother Edna, my dear sweet Grandma
Mom, my Grandpa and Grandma Jibson and me in Declo, Idaho
at my great grandmother's home
Mom, Dad, Me and Gary in Hayward, CA
Our family in 1956 when Billy was a baby
Mom, Grandma and Grandpa Jibson at my High School graduation
We shared everything, even being pregnant together!
OK I was the one with the crazy big hair!
The only picture I have with our entire family
when Kat was a new baby and I was a new Mom.
Mom and Dad, Rick and Katy Girl
Dad, my brother Scott, Sarah and Mom
Gary, Me, Dad, Mom, Rick and Kat
Five generations
5 generations in 2004
June 2008 with mom so sick with her first bout with cancer.
After recovering from chemo, losing her hair and wearing a wig in 2008
Mom after surgery with her aunt, Minnie, my hair just growing back after brain surgery.
Tom is still sporting his mustache in 2009
Mom being presented a flag at Dad's funeral in April 2012.
Aunt Pauline and Mom in 2013. Best Friends!
I have more to share but it's 1 AM and I need to sleep.
Thinking of y'all with love.
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