Thursday, December 23, 2010

Tribute to Mom - Martha Jean Saxton Renner

Martha Jean Saxton Renner


June 8, 1935 - November 10, 2010



Where do I begin? Besides Mark, Mom was my best friend. Hardly a day went by that I didn't talk to her. And every night before going to bed, I would look out the window and make sure that she was home and safe.

Mom always had a smile on her face, she had endured a lot of heart ache though her life, but you would never know it. She never let it get her down.

Growing up, she was known at the neighborhood 'Mom', everyone played at our house, and then she was known as "Grandma across the street' to my kids. I am so grateful that we lived across the street, so my kids could have that special relationship with her. They would go over to get advice on their cuts (they thought she was a doctor), or ask her a question, or just to get a piece of candy and give her a hug and say, 'I love you.' Jesse always called her "Super Grandma" cuz she could do anything.

Memories of Mom...She was born to Oliver Martin Eames and Martha Datyler on June 8, 1935. She was the 4th child in the family. Maxine Eames Wallace, Dean Eames, Julia Eames Nelson. they grew up in Cache county, mostly in the Logan area. From what she told me, her childhood was not the best, but, she made the best of it. She made sure that our childhood was the best. Both her and Dad made sure we always had what we needed and mostly everything we wanted. Because they didn't have that growing up.

They moved into the house in Kearns when Kenny was a baby. And she thought everyone in the neighborhood was old. She was only 17, they all must have been in their 20's. She told me stories of when they lived in Magna and had to bring water home from Logan to drink, cuz the water in Magna was to gross to drink.

We had 6 children in our family...Kenneth James, me (Cindy Jean), Alan Lynn, Kyle Dean, Sheri Martha, Teresa Ann. Mom & Dad taught us all how to clean house, cook, do laundry and keep the yard looking nice. I remember when we were young, if it was our turn to do dishes and we didn't get them clean, she would dump all the dishes from the cuboards and we would have to wash everything again. It was just a few months ago I was thinking about that and asked Mom, what where thinking when Kyle had to do that...if they were slimmy when he did the first time, how did you think that they would not all be slimmy the 2nd time? She just laughed and said, "I don't know". Mom was a great Mom, you could talk to her about anything under the sun. She taught me how to sew with I was in 4th grade, I had been sick and was bored, but not good enough to go back to school. She taught me how to make an apron. And I haven't stopped sewing yet. I love to sew. After I would make something new, I would always want to show it to Mom. She was always interested in what I am doing. There was lots of times, she would come over the next day or call me and say, what were you doing up at 4 am in the basement, I saw your lights on? I would tell her what I was working on, then wonder, "what where you doing up, that you saw my lights on." I am going to miss that.

I can't stop my eyes from looking at her house everytime I drive home, wondering if she is home, so I can go over and say HI to her and tell her that I love her. I am going to miss showing her my projects that I am working on. And her making a fuss over them. I am going to miss those talks that we had so often about nothing...just talking to her. And giving her a kiss and telling her that I loved her, then go home.

Mom had just received a call to be a temple worker. Oh how excited she was about that. She had wanted to do that for a long time. She had a couple of training sessions before she passed away. I was so excited for her. And about a month before that, she had started going to the temple with her sister Julie and her friend Annette. They all decided that they would go once a month to a different temple. They were all so excited about it. I only wish I would have tagged along the times they went. She would come home and tell me about it. The time she went with Annette to the Manti temple was the funniest. They drove all the way to Manti to attend the temple, to get there and it was closed for cleaning. So, they had lunch and went to another temple on the way home.

Mom worked in PTA, scouting, church callings, and she was involved in the Eagles also. She always gave everything she had to whatever she was doing. Everyone loved her, cuz she loved everyone back. She was kind to everyone. She will be missed by everyone that knew her. She was a great friend. She loved working in her yard, she loved roses and daisy's. Her yard always looked good.

Mom called me at 2:38 am on November 10th and asked if I would take her to the hospital, that she thought she was having a heart attack. I flew out of bed and told Mark to get the car and meet over there. I knew that she was having a heart attack when I got there. I called 911, and they were there within about 5 minutes. It seemed like longer, when your loved one is having problems, minutes seem like hours. They got her to the hospital and they comfirmed that she was having a heart attack. When we were driving to the hospital, I got the feeling in my heart that she was not going to make it this time. I didn't know what I was going to do. I won't go into all the details of her death here. I wrote it all down in my journal. From the time that she called me and they pronounced her deceased, was 1 hour. I am grateful that she did not have to suffer, that she went quick. I am going to miss her so much. Heavenly Father has been trying to prepare me for a while now. For the last 6 months, it has been on my mind, how am I going to take care of cleaning out the house and dividing up the stuff in the house. Now why would I be prompted to be thinking about that? Why did I know driving to the hospital that morning, that she was not going to make it? Because Heavenly Father was trying to prepare me, that it was her time to come home. That she was prepared to come home now. She had endured to the end, and had passed the test. I am grateful for the 'Plan of salvation' for the knowledge that I have that we will be together again as a family. I can only imagine the reunion in heaven on November 10th, what it must have been like. Mom had told me so many times lately how much she missed her Mom. To be back in the arms of her parents, in the arms of Dad and Teresa and those precious grandchildren that have gone home to soon. What a grand reunion! I miss them all so much! And will wait patiently until my reunion with them.

No comments: