Remembering Florence...
Last week a friend of mine transitioned to heaven. Anyone who knew Florence Smith knew that she was a strong lady. She was a sweetheart as well, full of fight, and spunk. She lost the battle with cancer, but she was the ultimate winner, she is home with the Lord.
Florence was a member of the church I attend, I first met her in the adult Sunday School class. We would see each other coming and going with different things in the church. It wasn't until we started doing some health education in the church. We tried to do "First Place" a Christ centered weight loss program. This was during the time my mother was in the hospital and I needed to watch my diabetes. I was diagnosed as a "border line" diabetic. We would meet and wiegh each week, we cancelled meetings and then the meeting dwindled down to three of us. When my mom died she dropped off a fruit tray by the house.
In the spring of 2009 , she invited me and several others to a Mary Kay event. The president of Mary Kay would be here for a meeting. The meeting was fun, I ran into some people I knew that were selling Mary Kay, I didn't know that they sold it. I became half-way interested because our finances were a mess, my husband had lost a part time job that paid an average of six hundred dollars a month, admittedly we should have saved that money, but we didn't so when the job ended we had lots of extra debt, I was looking to do something part-time myself and this was an opportunity. I though sure under the watchful care and help of Florence that I would do well and of course Faith, what a bubbly person. These people had convinced me, that this sort of timid person, could sell Mary Kay. I could be a model becuase I had great baby skin.
A couple of weeks later I went to see Florence and we talked. She understood my situation. I guess she had been there at one time or the other. I explained what was going on at work and I needed something to do, just in case. I knew my time there was limited, although everyone assured me that I was just being paranoid. Someone even said that I was a fixture like the furniture, but as I told them sometimes you change the furniture at your house don't you. So we set out with a plan, to sell Mary Kay and to start to pay some stuff off and by the time the job ran out I would have something established. She told me people did this full time. Well, it sounded good. We planned a launch party, we made phone calls , but no one came, this scared me, but I figured it was a fluke. Anyway, I registered as a Mary Kay rep and got my start-up kit. It was like Christmas morning when I got my cases, all of my stuff. I was excited. We figured it was a way I could actual minister to women that were having a bad day. I passed out books and told people about me selling Mary Kay, but the reactions were not what I expected. No one would return phone calls, or say "I'm using my old stuff," I even went as far to look up someone who had the old stuff still in stock. I went to the Tuesday night meetings. I finally got someone who was interested. Florence drove me there and I did the facial. It was fun and she bought something; I made my first sale, Florence loaned me some of her stuff, because I didn't have the money to do the first order yet. That first sale and I had booked a party. Things seemed to be going well until August. The person I booked the party with wouldn't return my calls , I followed up with those I had given books to. I think the most hurtful thing was my sister went to one of the department stores to buy acme cream that we sold at a fraction of the cost.
I started back to school and when I got my financial aid I invested some of it in Mary Kay. Florence and I did my first order. Christmas was coming up and I figured I could sell some stuff as gifts. It was an exciting time, but nothing moved. I actually got ashamed of not making any progress and didn't call Florence, I didn't want to disappoint her. I finally told her what was going on and she said well, it takes a while. Meanwhile, things at work got worse and our plan wasn't working. When things turned out like they did, Florence wanted me to still try to do something, but I didn't have the confidence or the inclination to try anymore. As I told her I appreciated the thought, and the opportunity.
One Friday afternoon I walked over to her house just to talk , we talked for hours. She was very encouraging about my going back to school. Anyway we studied for the Evangelist exam and would keep in touch. I enjoyed knowing Florence. This poem was read at our funeral called "The Dash." You read it and it makes you think about what you do with your life between birth and death. Between the dash is when life is lived. What you do with your life is very important. Here is the poem;
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, 1964-1994
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?
I will miss Florence, but I will treasure those things we talked about and how she tried to help me.
Florence was a member of the church I attend, I first met her in the adult Sunday School class. We would see each other coming and going with different things in the church. It wasn't until we started doing some health education in the church. We tried to do "First Place" a Christ centered weight loss program. This was during the time my mother was in the hospital and I needed to watch my diabetes. I was diagnosed as a "border line" diabetic. We would meet and wiegh each week, we cancelled meetings and then the meeting dwindled down to three of us. When my mom died she dropped off a fruit tray by the house.
In the spring of 2009 , she invited me and several others to a Mary Kay event. The president of Mary Kay would be here for a meeting. The meeting was fun, I ran into some people I knew that were selling Mary Kay, I didn't know that they sold it. I became half-way interested because our finances were a mess, my husband had lost a part time job that paid an average of six hundred dollars a month, admittedly we should have saved that money, but we didn't so when the job ended we had lots of extra debt, I was looking to do something part-time myself and this was an opportunity. I though sure under the watchful care and help of Florence that I would do well and of course Faith, what a bubbly person. These people had convinced me, that this sort of timid person, could sell Mary Kay. I could be a model becuase I had great baby skin.
A couple of weeks later I went to see Florence and we talked. She understood my situation. I guess she had been there at one time or the other. I explained what was going on at work and I needed something to do, just in case. I knew my time there was limited, although everyone assured me that I was just being paranoid. Someone even said that I was a fixture like the furniture, but as I told them sometimes you change the furniture at your house don't you. So we set out with a plan, to sell Mary Kay and to start to pay some stuff off and by the time the job ran out I would have something established. She told me people did this full time. Well, it sounded good. We planned a launch party, we made phone calls , but no one came, this scared me, but I figured it was a fluke. Anyway, I registered as a Mary Kay rep and got my start-up kit. It was like Christmas morning when I got my cases, all of my stuff. I was excited. We figured it was a way I could actual minister to women that were having a bad day. I passed out books and told people about me selling Mary Kay, but the reactions were not what I expected. No one would return phone calls, or say "I'm using my old stuff," I even went as far to look up someone who had the old stuff still in stock. I went to the Tuesday night meetings. I finally got someone who was interested. Florence drove me there and I did the facial. It was fun and she bought something; I made my first sale, Florence loaned me some of her stuff, because I didn't have the money to do the first order yet. That first sale and I had booked a party. Things seemed to be going well until August. The person I booked the party with wouldn't return my calls , I followed up with those I had given books to. I think the most hurtful thing was my sister went to one of the department stores to buy acme cream that we sold at a fraction of the cost.
I started back to school and when I got my financial aid I invested some of it in Mary Kay. Florence and I did my first order. Christmas was coming up and I figured I could sell some stuff as gifts. It was an exciting time, but nothing moved. I actually got ashamed of not making any progress and didn't call Florence, I didn't want to disappoint her. I finally told her what was going on and she said well, it takes a while. Meanwhile, things at work got worse and our plan wasn't working. When things turned out like they did, Florence wanted me to still try to do something, but I didn't have the confidence or the inclination to try anymore. As I told her I appreciated the thought, and the opportunity.
One Friday afternoon I walked over to her house just to talk , we talked for hours. She was very encouraging about my going back to school. Anyway we studied for the Evangelist exam and would keep in touch. I enjoyed knowing Florence. This poem was read at our funeral called "The Dash." You read it and it makes you think about what you do with your life between birth and death. Between the dash is when life is lived. What you do with your life is very important. Here is the poem;
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, 1964-1994
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?
I will miss Florence, but I will treasure those things we talked about and how she tried to help me.
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