This memorial website is created to remember our dearest
Vicki Lynn Hollister who was born in New York on February 9, 1959 and was re-born in glory with
her Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven on February 23, 2010.
You will live forever in our memories and hearts.
We are all looking forward to seeing you again in His Eternal Kingdom.
February 27, 2010
In Loving Memory Of My Mother
Vicki Lynn Hollister
We are here today to honor and commemorate the life of my mother Vicki Lynn Hollister. She was the most wonderful woman anyone could ever have hoped to meet. She treated everyone with decency, respect, compassion and most importantly with love. The extent of her kindness was far beyond measure and her endless humanitarianism will not soon be forgotten.
My mother loved with her whole heart and she proved it in all aspects of her life. She always put her family and friends above all others including herself. She enjoyed so many different activities but showed the same amount of enthusiasm in everything she did. Her hobbies were endless, cake baking & decorating, camping, fishing, swimming, gardening, bowling, several sports, and most recently added, scrapbooking. Mom and I shared many of these same interests, but we greatly enjoyed digging leeks and berry picking together. We would spend hour after hour in the woods just digging away, often having way more leeks than we could end up using. Berry picking was the most fun though because it was always extremely entertaining. Both of us crouched in the briars, yelling an obscenity every ten seconds due to getting pricked by the damn thorns. Her zest for life was inexhaustible.
My mother was a very strong willed and independent woman and was extremely proud of the obstacles she had overcome and accomplishments she made in her life. The accomplishment she was most proud of however, was her children and grandchildren. In her opinion, the most important thing in life was family and she always made sure that we knew that. She taught us the most important things about life…family, friends, laughter and love. My mom thought these things were worth more than all the riches in the world. We are all better people because of her being in our lives. And although we are all here in mourning together today, I feel we are the richest people in the world for having her been a part of ours.
I usually write poetry at times like this to help me through, however I found a poem titled “The Dash” and I felt in my heart that it is the poem I should share with you today.
On behalf of my mother and my family, I thank everyone for being here. Your condolences are appreciated and we are comforted from your support.
Thank you,
Michelle Lee Cain
THE DASH
I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end.
He noted that first came her date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth…
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own;
The cars…the house…the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard…
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile…
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy’s being read
With your life’s actions to rehash…
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?
Author: Linda Ellis
Funeral Service for Vicki Lynn Hollister
by Reverend Ron Sellers
Martin Sparkman of McLean, Virginia, tells about his son’s friend whose grandmother died. They were trying to explain to this six-year old what had happened to his grandmother. The usual explanations were given, “Your grandmother”, they said, “has gone to Heaven to be with Jesus.” Not having seen her leave and having no concept of travel without a car, his question, spoken out of profound innocence was, “Did they build a road to Heaven?” Good question. “Is there a road to heaven anyway?” Jesus said to His disciples, “You know the way …”
Many questions cross our minds when we experience the death of someone near and dear to us.
As we remember and celebrate Vicki’s life, what can this experience teach us about death and about life?
Perhaps the first lesson on this journey is to learn the importance of living each day to the fullest; how very important and precious every day of life is.
The writer of the book of James said; “Come now, you say, ‘today or tomorrow we can go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and get gain’, but you do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? For you are merely a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” James 4:13-14
I have heard people say who have gone through some traumatic experience; “Every day is precious to me now” or, “I look at each day differently now.” “I’m so thankful for every new sunrise.”
Vicki’s life was cut short – she was too young to die. But we know death is no respecter of age. A week ago last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday. “Remember you are dust and to dust you will return.”
As the writer of James said; “You do not know about tomorrow.”
We take life too often for granted – like tomorrow is always going to be here for us. Or as the country western tune states it – “I always thought that I’d see you again.” In an interview some time ago Mike Ditka, former NFL star said, “two days I have no time for are yesterday and tomorrow.”
What he is saying is, today is all we really have, there are no guarantees regarding tomorrow.”
Live each day to the fullest. We don’t know about tomorrow. Don’t wait till tomorrow to tell those you love how much they mean to you. Don’t wait till tomorrow to mend that broken relationship. Life is very fragile. The promise God made was not that we would have a million tomorrows, but in every tomorrow He will be with us.
The second thing we learn on the journey is how important memories are. Get yourself some good memories.
When Judy called me and said Vicki had died I began reflecting on my experience with her. Vicki had a way of making every event fun. She had a real love for life. She went out of her way to make us feel wanted here in Belmont. She never refused to help when I asked her to do something. Karen reflected on how Vicki helped her adjust to being a pastor’s wife.
She was kind – caring – she had a servant’s heart. I believe she would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it.
In the book of Proverbs it says: “The memory of the righteous is a blessing.” Vicki still speaks to us through those memories. One of my favorite stories is about Henrick Ibsen, the Norwegian author who writes about a clergy person who is dangerously tempted by evil. But each time he is at the point of yielding to temptation he looks at the portrait of his godly ancestors which hangs on the wall of his home. Each speaks a word holding him back. Vicki still speaks to each of us as we reflect and remember. She will still challenge you and inspire you. Our inner vision and memory will enable us to see and be blessed.
You family members and friends are blessed – when you think of Vicki, remember the good times you shared with her – the smiles, the laughter, the hugs – the fun of sharing life with her.
Finally – Is there a road to Heaven?
In the book of Genesis, the creation story uses the expression, “And there was evening and there was morning, one day.” We have the tendency to relate death and the unpleasant things of life to darkness – night. We don’t like to talk about death and dying.
But I believe that God looks at things differently than we do. Perhaps day does not end with the darkness but rather God’s day ends with the light. Darkness never has the last word. I think this should be reassuring as life’s little days ebb away and night seems to be settling in. If Vicki would have had to spend her last months and years struggling in pain and suffering with no way of escape then we would have said darkness had the last word.
In ancient times, mourners buried loved ones facing west, toward the setting sun, the darkness, the night. But after Christ rose from the dead, Christians bury their loved ones facing east, toward the sunrise, the light, the dawn of the new day. For it was the sunrise of that first Easter morning that changed the way we look at death. When Christ appeared there before Mary in the garden of Gethsemane, we suddenly realized that death had lost its fearful grip on our lives. Christ had done exactly what He said He would do. He rose from the dead. And therefore, we believe He will do what He said He would do for our lives. “Because I live, you will live also.”
There is a road to Heaven. And our Lord shows us where it is and how to navigate it.
It is a road that winds from a cross on Calvary, stops momentarily by an empty garden tomb, and continues until it arrives at the door of anyone who puts their faith in Christ. And you and I can travel that road that leads to a grand reunion with those we have loved and lost while putting our hand in the hand of God.
Scripture readings:
Psalm 130:
A song of ascents.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD;
2 Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, LORD, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
5 I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.
1 Corinthians 15:
The Resurrection of Christ
1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas,[b] and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
The Resurrection of the Dead
12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.”[c] Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30 And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31 I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,
“Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.”[d]
33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”[e] 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.
The Resurrection Body
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”[f]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we[g] bear the image of the heavenly man.
50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[h]
55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”[i]
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
John 14:
Jesus Comforts His Disciples
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Jesus the Way to the Father
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, 31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.
“Come now; let us leave.
To Teddy (Vicki) and Jesus,
First, to my lovely earthly wife, for both of us, Jesus is the center of our lives and even though our faith and our relationship sometimes faltered, neither ever failed us. That was no more evident than during our last evening together which is what stirs my heart to write this love letter to the both of you. That evening before you went to be eternally with Jesus, your last request was to sing a song as special music at church for Easter - The Hammer Holds. You asked me if I would play it so you could sing it, and you asked Pastor and Joan if we could do it together for special music sometime during Easter. It had become so special a song for the both of us; remember when we heard it for the first time on FLN? We instantly fell in love with it, and immediately after hearing it we both said at the same time, “we’re going to do that for special music at church someday”. We had practiced it several times; we even went so far as to practice it in church once! Last Easter was to be the Easter we would share it with the congregation, but Jesus had other plans for you. This year, I did play a song with our brothers and sister; Fuzz, Shawn, Dan, Linda and I got together and did Glorious Day by Casting Crowns. As we always we do, we had a great time practicing, and when it came time, the Holy Spirit took over and we hopped on board for the ride :^) But there is something the both of you should know, getting there was kind of hard for me. In the back of my mind I felt I should be playing The Hammer Holds.
“Getting there” is what I want to share with you next, and Jesus, you already know this :^) Even before you left for the present Heaven Teddy, Jesus was already showing me what it was like where you would be going. He was starting to show me things about the present Heaven, and the New Heaven and the New Earth yet to come. He showed me that even in our spiritual bodies, we still have bodies, and that the present Heaven is a Paradise, and that when we move from this world to the next, our bodies and minds are renewed. We’re not in our resurrected bodies yet, but we also aren’t disembodied spirits floating around in some vaporous existence. We’re real people, in a real Paradise, with the real Jesus and all those believers who have gone before us. We are finally able to see Him and His angelic hosts face-to-face. We have real relationships, we’re aware of the passing of time (I might mention more on that sometime later), we take with us the best of our memories which bring glory to God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus continues to show me more, especially about the New Heaven and the New Earth and what living with Him and each other will mean and look like. Like Paul said; yes, in this fallen earth and these imperfect bodies we still can’t see the present Heaven or the New Heaven and Earth clearly, but Scripture does give us a good snapshot of what eternal life will be like. So, a large part of my getting there, getting past regrets of not being able to do so many of the things we wanted to do together, was letting Jesus show me where you are now and where we will be, all together, one day to share the rest of eternity. I love you Teddy, for being my earthly wife, sister and friend. I love you Jesus, not just for Your sacrifice for me, but also for preparing a place of beauty beyond our comprehension, for all of us who believe to share and rule with You. Even in this fallen earth, how can we live with regrets when You have given us so much to look forward to?
I know Jesus, there will be those who read this, especially those who don’t know You, they’ll think I’ve gone off the deep end :^) And there will be those who do believe in You, they’ll want to stand-up and shout from the highest roof top. But most of them, whether believers or not, haven’t seen what You have shown me. If they have seen, they will only shout to Your glory; not to this letter and especially not to me. Teddy, Jesus has shown me that the things we do to His glory now are going to last for eternity. This letter, expressing my love to you and to Him, I’m doing to His glory. I fully anticipate that when we are together in our purposed home in the New Heaven and Earth, this letter will be there. One of the things we wanted to do here was to go to Israel. Remember when we went to Nazareth and Bethlehem (PA.) just so we could say we had been there? lol We had a great time on that trip :^) I’m looking forward to going to the New Jerusalem with you. I can imagine that as we enter through one of the gates of pearl, and cast our eyes on that spectacular structure, one of the first things we’ll do is look for a library. It will be like we have done so many times before, exploring everything together. I can imagine that when we find the library, it will be immense and there will be thousands upon thousands of scrolls and books. There will be some kind of index, and the index card we’ll be looking for will have the title, A Love Letter from Griz to Teddy and Jesus. We’ll unroll that letter and read these words. I can only imagine what it will be like.
Before I close, I have a special request for the both of you. I know there are millions here who don’t know You Jesus. You’re standing at the door of their hearts knocking, waiting for them to let you in. I do have a burden for them, but You know Jesus that You’ve given me an even greater burden, and that is for Teddy’s and my children and grandchildren. I need You to help me point them to You. So, would You and Teddy pray for Christal, Bridget, Jeff, Michelle, Aliyah, Caleb, Tyson, Savion, Danny and Lanson, and pray for their boyfriends and girlfriend Keith, Ben, Brianna, Jon and Jon’s son Aiden. Knock on the door of their hearts Jesus, and when they open that door in answer to our prayers, show them what You have shown me. Let that be the reward for their faith just like it has been for mine.
All My Love Everlasting,
Griz
The Hammer Holds by Bebo Norman
A shapeless piece of steel, that's all I claim to be
This hammer pounds to give me form, this flame, it melts my dreams
I glow with fire and fury, as I'm twisted like a vine
My final shape, my final form I'm sure I'm bound to find
So dream a little dream for me, in hopes that I'll remain
And cry a little cry for me, so I can bear the flames
And hurt a little hurt for me, my future is untold
But my dreams are not the issue here, for they, the hammer holds
And the water, it cools me gray, and the hurt's subdued somehow
I have my shape, this sharpened point, what is my purpose now?
And the question still remains, what am I to be?
Perhaps some perfect piece of art displayed for all to see
So dream a little dream for me, in hopes that I'll remain
And cry a little cry for me, so I can bear the flames
And hurt a little hurt for me, my future is untold
But my dreams are not the issue here, for they, the hammer holds
The hammer pounds again, but flames I do not feel
This force that drives me, helplessly, through flesh, and wood reveals
A burn that burns much deeper, it's more than I can stand
The reason for my life was to take the life of a guiltless man
So dream a little dream for me, in hopes that I'll remain
And cry a little cry for me, so I can bear the pain
And hurt a little hurt for me, my future is so bold
But my dreams are not the issue here, for they, the hammer holds
This task before me may seem unclear
But it, my maker holds
Vicki and I were attending Belmont United Methodist Church so this was probably around 2002. Vicki was the director of the youth program at church and wanted to do a special Easter program for just the youth and their families. As a gift, we had gotten the book “The Final Week of Jesus” by Max Lucado. Vicki came up with the idea of doing an evening program where the audience would be blind-folded. Using select readings from the book, music, and recorded as well as live sound effects, we recreated the crucifixion of Jesus. In the dark sanctuary, Vicki made the passion of Jesus come alive. She choreographed everything compete with thunderstorm and lightning, the scourging of Jesus and the pounding of the nails. We rehearsed everything prior to the program and made all the necessary adjustments to ensure everything worked and flowed.
After the main program was finished, she had designed a special treat. With youth and family members still blind-folded, Vicki and I guided each to the conference room adjoining the sanctuary. The first part of the program allowed them to experience Jesus through sound, this individually guided tour allowed them to experience Jesus through their senses of touch and taste. Each of the stations presented a different aspect of the life of our Savior: Jesus the good shepherd (staff, cloak and sandals), Jesus and the last supper (bread, juice, lambs bone, bitter herbs), Jesus the servant (water, washing bowl and towel), and Jesus crucified (wood beam, nails, crown of thorns); providing them the opportunity to touch and taste what minutes before they had heard. Only after they were all led outside to the parking lot were they allowed to remove their blind folds. There was no fanfare, we simply thanked them for coming and asked that as they went home to reflect on what they had just experienced.
Vicki spent more hours serving Jesus than any of us can possibly imagine, giving of her energy, time, gifts, and talents to spread the good news of the Gospel. This memory is just one of the unique ways the Holy Spirit spoke to her and used her to impact the lives of those around her in a profound way.
June 5, 2010 – Fireflies
I went up to Michelle and Jon’s last night to drop-off birthday gifts for the grandchildren, four are June babies – Caleb, Aliyah, Savion and Lanson. Kathy, Michelle and I were sitting on the steps of the front porch and the field across the road was full of fireflies. I just came in from spending a few minutes out back and lots of fireflies!
I shared with Kathy and Michelle a time that Vicki and I took a drive on a night much like last night and tonight. It was probably the first or second spring (had to have been about this same time of year) after we moved here to Stanndards. We just decided to go for a drive, may have gone to Shorts for ice cream first, up on the back roads on the east side of Rt. 19 (pretty much across from the house). I’m not even sure where we were, but we were on a hill top far from any lights. It was a moonless night, but the stars were out. There were open fields covering dozens of acres. We found a spot where we could pull-off and park, and then we got out of the car. We sat on the hood of the car for a couple minutes so our eyes could get adjusted to the dark. As they did, we experienced what can only be described as a miracle moment (actually we stayed there for probably close to two hours). It was one of the most amazing light shows either of us had ever seen. Fireflies were lighting up the fields, and it seemed to stretch on endlessly, there must have been millions of them – everywhere you looked. We went walking out in the field in the midst of them and they were everywhere, we were immersed in a sea of pale shimmering green light. As we walked, the dancing clouds of light would shift, move and change shape. It was like being on another planet or in the middle of a fairy tale. We just kept laughing and saying to each other how unbelievable it was! Seeing the fireflies last night and tonight took me back to that moment, just one of many miracle moments.
The signifigance of "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground," is very dear to my heart. Mom has always been a very big fan of Willie Nelson. Back in either 2001 or 2002, Willie performed at St. Bonaventure Universtiy in Olean, NY. My ex, Aaron, and I got tickets for us, his mom and my mom. We were supposed to sit all the way in the back on the left side of the auditorium, but we saw six open seats in the fourth row, center stage. We decided to go sit there and if the people came we would just return to our seats, but that never happened and we got to sit there for the whole show. It was awesome and we had a great time! Mom really wanted to hear "Angel Flying to Close to the Ground" and I guess it's true, they save the best for last. That was the last song performed and it made mom so happy! It is her absolute favorite Willie Nelson song. She had also taken a yellow rose to the concert, and since we were so close, she got to throw it right on the stage. Plenty of flowers were thrown, but noone else brought a yellow rose (state flower of Texas which is where Willie lives). That yellow rose was the ONLY flower that Willie picked up from that stage. It was a simple reminder of "home" for him and my mom made that possible. She is the most amazing woman and I am at a loss without her. Please share any memories you have. The memories are all we have now, the more the better. I LOVE AND MISS YOU MOM! You are forever in my heart!
I thought I would begin this memory section by explaining our song selection for Vicki's web site. I won't be sharing these in the exact sequence they appear here, but there are memories in the music.
When you first come to this page, the first song you should hear is Vicki singing "I Can Only Imagine". As one of the members of the Wellsvile Full Gospel congregation shared, Vicki's was the first funeral she ever attended where the person actually sang at their own funeral. That was my doing, but with Michelle's permission :^) Vicki sang that for special music in church (WFG) one Sunday back in 2003. Not often, but once in a while she would hear a worship song that really inspired her and she would reach down inside for the courage to get up in front of people and sing (she sang in church choir for several years, but singing with a group was different than singing alone).
A bittersweet memory for me is another song, "The Hammer Holds". This was a shared favorite for both Vicki and I. When we first heard it (likely on FLN radio), we both said that was a song she should sing at church! We had always planned to do it for Easter. I taught myself the picking style that Bebo Norman uses, and then we practiced it on several occassions. We even practiced it in church one time! Why the song is bittersweet for me is that the Sunday night before she went into surgery on Monday, she asked me if we could do that song in church this Easter (2010). I told her that I practiced it often and that we would definitely do it this year. I guess the Lord had other plans :^) Right now it hurts to listen to it, not only because it describes the crucifixtion of our Savior from the perspective of the nail, but because it reminds me of something special we shared that went unfinished. I don't know everything that happens in Heaven, but maybe one of the things will be to complete some tasks that we never had the opportunity to do here on earth. At least I know there are stringed instruments in Heaven and that Vicki is there now singing praises to the Father :^)
"Amazing Grace" with bagpipes and "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone" have a pretty unique story. Neither Michelle nor I were aware of their significance until after the funeral. Michelle had selected "Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone" and "You Are My Sunshine" to sing at Vicki's funeral (thus their inclusion here). Only later did we see in Vicki's Face Book notes that in one of those "40 questions about yourself" tags, that Vicki had answered the question "What would you like played at your funeral?" with Amazing Grace on bagpipes and Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone. Since they weren't in the funeral, Michelle thought it fitting that they should be played here on her Mom's memorial site.
I was hard-put to think of any favorite hymns or prasie and worship music that Vicki might have had, she loved so many songs. Michelle knew that one of Vicki's favorite hymns was "The Old Rugged Cross", so that is here because it was one of her favorites. Vicki loved country and western music, and "Three Wooden Crosses" and "Jesus Take The Wheel" were also favorite songs of hers.
"Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground" is a special memory shared specifically between Michelle and her Mom. I'll let Michele tell you about that memory in her own words and time.
Three songs were very special between Vicki and myself. They are, "Unchained Melody", "Crazy", and the "Hawaiian Wedding Song". The Hawaiian Wedding Song was the song she walked down the isle to on the day of our wedding, Oct. 5, 1996. My Mom always wanted to hear that song played as the wedding march at a wedding. So that was Vicki's & my gift to our Mom :^)
"Unchained Melody" was very much "our song". It became such when we went to our first "movie" date back in 1990 (we met in Oct. of 1989) - the movie was "Ghost", and Unchained Melody was the theme song for that movie. It was also the song we picked to dance to for our first dance together on our wedding day. "Crazy" was another wedding song, that was the song we played for the Father/Daughter - Mother/Son dance.
I'm sure there will be more favorite songs to be shared, we'll get those posted as we become aware of them.
4-20-2010; I knew there would be more songs. Song #14 is "You Are The Wind Beneath My Wings". That was Vicki's wedding gift to me, and a surprize gift at that! It wasn't in the program and I didn't have a clue that it was going to be played :^) Karen Sellers, on piano, and her daughter Shannon, on flute played it. Ron Sellers, the pastor for Vicki's funeral, was also the pastor who married us. Of course Vicki had Karen and Shannon play it before our vows, so I go into those all choked-up :^) Well hon, this time, it's for you!
In the meantime, please share some of your favorite memories of and with Vicki. I, for one, have many, many more that will eventually appear on this site! I told Michelle trying to put together her life story is going to take some doing! How does one put "The Dash" into words? The memories shared by family and friends here will go a long way in doing just that.
God Bless Always,
Dean
| margaret ludwig |
i wish i had relly knew her well |
April 27, 2010 |
I only knew Vicki for a short time she was my room mate in the hospital in feburary i was in the room first she was brought in on sunday night feb 14th we talked and laughed till one in the morning she brought a whole new feel to the room i was starting to get really depressed with the whole hospital thing and she made the rest of my stay so much better we agreed to keep in touch when Michelle e-mailed me and told me of vicki's death i didn't know what to do my heart just cryed as well as my eye's i had lost a beautiful new friend we talked about god and heaven what it might be like and now i konw she's walking in that beautiful place.
| KyleAnn Cole |
Saddened |
April 19, 2010 |
Wow, I don't even know how to put into words the sorrow I am feeling at this very moment. Michelle contacted me tonight and told me the sad news. Vicki was truely a wonderful person, and I shall miss her sense of humor and her love of the Lord that she shared with me through her email. May the good Lord be with you all at this very sad time. Keep Him close and He will get you through it... Remember... If God brings you to it... He'll bring you through it.
