Tuesday, May 3, 2016

A Mother's Day Message from a Dying Mommy to All Mothers of the World

Paige E. Hilfer was born on December 18, 1967 and died on March 22, 2012 at the age of 44.

Her beauty stood out more than her baldness. We didn't speak, and I didn't stare, but I sat in the airport terminal and wrote in my writing pad:

"A true beauty is one whose features are so fine that she retains her loveliness 
even when her hair is gone."

Sad. So young.

Nestled in my assigned airplane seat, I hoped whoever sat next to me was prepared to sleep for the next three hours for I had a manuscript to edit. Oh yes, I did have work to do. Work God prepared for me to do before I was ever born.

Sweet bald-headed beauty stopped at my row and slid into the seat next to me.  I was quick to keep my eyes on the papers scattered in front of me.

"Hi. My name is Paige. Are you writing a book?"

Now that's a sentence that grabs a writer's attention. We started talking.

She had cancer. 
Deadly. 
And three children. 
Lively.

Eager to talk, she shared how her life and her parenting changed when she learned she had little time to impact the lives of her children. I told her I would write her thoughts and share them with the world. So, here is Paige's bucket list in her own words:

Meaningful moments will replace materialism as the goal for the day.

Family celebrations will not be missed.

My children are no longer my world. 
Instead, 
I want to show the world to my children.

Teach my children that  life is about real people who need real people
 — not about video games and the latest toys.

My days of selfishness 
— of materialism — 
are gone and 
my life giving back has begun.

Show my children the hurting in the world 
so compassion grows in their hearts
 and they see 
the world consists of more than 
what they see on video games.

Grow my children to be kind instead of selfish.

Grow my children to care more about people than possessions.

Teach my children that they are on this earth to be angels — messengers from God.

My new friend shared  how cancer changed her heart.

 I was such a selfish person, 
then cancer  hit 
and the angels arrived.

Angels without wings 
showed up daily at my door.

Angels handed me their tickets 
when they realized I was sick 
and there was no seat for me on the airplane.

Angels surrounded me 
with weeks of prepared meals 
and child care.

Angels gave $20,000 
to help with my medical expenses.

She smiled and said, 
"And God placed an angel 
in the airplane seat beside me today."

I felt the same way. God gave me the honor of sitting beside an angel named Paige.

Cancer was a gift that changed her thinking from

Let's see how many toys I can accumulate
to
Let's see how many lives I can touch before I die.

I'm thankful she touched mine.

I promised her I would write this Mother's Day message from her to you. May it live  on in your heart and in the lives of your children.as you teach them their purpose on earth:

To be Angels.

Happy Mother's Day dear moms! Cherish your babies every second God gives you to hold them and to teach them that  God has them on earth to be an angel to someone today.

Please pray for Paige's family on this Mother's Day. May they somehow find this post and be comforted.  Pray for all children who miss their mommy today and every day. May God splash serenity and 10,000 angels on their lives. And the dear  moms who watch their children die. May this Mother's Day be a day of beauty and peace that can only come from You, dear God.

"For we are God's workmanship, 
created in Christ Jesus to do good works, 
which God prepared in advance for us to do." 
Ephesians 2:20

Be an angel to a hurting mom this Mother's Day,

Elaine

14 comments:

  1. Lost my mom last year in July, so this Mother's Day will be hard. Thank you for your touching post. Helpful reminders too!

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  2. Elaine W. MillerMay 4, 2016 at 9:51 AM

    May you be comforted by our Lord Jesus with beautiful memories of your mother that bring smiles and joy to your heart. Thanks for your comment. I'm glad you were encouraged.

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  3. Kathryn Sue MooreMay 6, 2016 at 9:58 AM

    Beautiful! Thank you for sharing, Elaine.

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  4. God is so good to put angels in our life. I'm glad Paige's message is read around the world now. Thanks for commenting.

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  5. Rebecca Fontanez PlaceMay 10, 2017 at 8:07 AM

    That was definitely a divine appointment, Elaine! Thank you for sharing!

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  6. Divine appointments are the best appointments. Thank you for reading!

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  7. So are you, dear friend. Love and miss you. Thinking about you and your mother on Mother's Day. May Jesus comfort still.

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  8. Thank you and love and miss you too. <3

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  9. This is my cousin. She always inspired me to be kind and compassionate. She has been on my mind this past year as I had a cancer scare. Praise the Lord I do not have cancer. Even though we lived on each end of the country, I hold my memories tight in my heart. I love you Paige!!!

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  10. Samantha, I am so happy to hear from you! After Paige died and I decided to fulfill my promise to her to write her story, I tried to find her children or family, to no avail. How did you find me? Since then, I was diagnosed with leukemia, which prompted me to write a book. Praise the Lord and Pass the Chemo: A Hopeful Response to a Hard Reality was published September 2018. I have two chapters on Paige. She touched my heart. I would love to send the book to her three children. If you could send me their addresses, I will. Send the addresses to my email SplashesofSerenity@yahoo.com. I am thankful you commented and so pleased you do not have cancer. Paige was a beautiful and courageous woman. Her legacy lives on through the words she gave to me. I have been on national podcasts telling her story. God bless you. Please let me hear more from you. Love and prayers, Elaine W. Miller

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  11. Elaine, I was actually looking for her obituary because I knew her death anniversary was approaching, but I could not remember the exact date. I never found the obituary, but instead was lead to your blog. The last time I saw Paige was in December of 2011, when she came to our Christmas dinner. I imagined it was because she wanted to say goodbye to all of us. That following March she went home to be with Jesus. I am wondering if this is when you met her on the plane on her route to Ohio? Because she lived in Colorado, I never got to meet her family. I do however have a way to get a hold of her father and mother. I plan to speak with them and tell them this story. I am sure they would love to have a book and make sure her children get it. I quick story of Paige and her compassion. She contacted a friend of the family and set up where this person would call her parents on every holiday and wish them a blessed one. The first call was Mother's day to her mother just a couple months after her death. What a wonderful Mother's day gift! As soon as, I get the address of her parents I will send it to you. God Bless you and I will pray for you as you go through the journey with being diagnosed with leukemia.

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  12. Samantha, I found Paige's obituary. She died March 22, 2012. This airplane flight was from Maryland back to Colorado. Her parents were with her and I felt so bad that my seat was beside Paige and her parents sat a few rows back. For years I wished I had given my seat to her mother, but now I see God meant me to sit there so she could impact my life and the lives of many through her story. I am not sure, but I believe her parents have died. I thought I found their obituaries too, but I could be mistaken. I am so blessed that you wrote to me and I look forward to sharing more of Paige's story through this blog. Her life was short, but her legacy is long. Thank you for your prayers for me. God bless you, my friend. What a treasure we shared in knowing Paige.

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  13. Elaine,

    Her parents are still alive. Her father is my mom's brother. She is calling him today and letting him know about the book. I actually will be calling him as well to tell him this full story. They will be so excited to hear this remarkable story and about the book. I will keep in touch with you. I found your book on Amazon, my husband and I are planning on purchasing it as well. God bless!

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  14. Hi Samantha, I am excited Paige's parents are alive to read her words. In Praise the Lord and Pass the Chemo I wrote two chapters about Paige. Chapter 5 is "Time is Short—Legacy is Long" and Chapter 6 is "Angels Without Wings." Paige's parents may remember me as they were on the same flight. I gave Paige copies of my first two books (I had in my computer case on the airplane), Splashes of Serenity: Bathtime Reflections for Drained Moms and Splashes of Serenity: Bathtime Reflections for Drained Wives. I had no sign of cancer at that time. Little did I know that Paige's heart would touch mine and encourage me as I travel my cancer journey. God bless you, Samantha. Please keep in touch. I really want to send the book to her children. Thanks for sending address. You can email me at SplashesofSerenity@yahoo.com

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I would love hearing from you! Thanks for sharing!