Mom’s
health really declined in the last year, so I’ve been thinking for a number of
months about what I’d say about her when this day came. So many things about her come to mind... Wanda Perez was a real personality. After some thought and prayer I believe that
Mom - and the Lord would like you to hear what the Perez kids have heard from
Mother’s lips very often over our life time: Live each day like it’s your
last. That’s certainly the way Mom lived
her life. I could probably talk all day
long about the many ways that Mom fleshed out the idea of living each day like
it’s your last, but I want to focus on three in particular:
Life is an adventure- Mom was an
adventurer. She loved to see new places
and learn new things. She wasn’t afraid
to step out and try something new. She
always told us that we could do anything we wanted to do. After nursing school she decided to buy a
sewing machine and taught herself how to sew.
Those of us who’ve known mom for a long time have probably worn
something she made. When she was a young
nurse she hung out in the phlebotomy lab and learned how to be an expert stick
– and in typical Wandanator fashion, was telling the nurses and phlebotomists
at DRMC where to stick her right up till the end. She could also do basic plumbing, electrical,
and some home repairs. She had lots of
tools (including a chain saw) and she knew how to use them.
Mom
loved to travel. In 1974 she took the
five of us and our cousin Nick on a cross country adventure of epic
proportions. That trip was formative for
all six of us kids. She instilled in us
a love of beauty and whimsy, as we stopped to see so many of this country’s
beautiful places – and it’s oddities as well.
I’m known to my nieces and nephews as the Queen of Fun. Well guys… Abuela was the original Queen of
Fun.
Sometimes adventure comes our way through
challenges or adversity. Mom was game for that too, and taught us to face
challenges with a can-do attitude. When we were very little she’d quote the Little Engine That Could to us – “I
think I can, I think I can, I think I can – I can!” As we grew older, she’d simply say, “Can’t
never did anything.” The challenges that
Mom faced were sometimes daunting, but her resolve and her love of adventure
meant that she faced them bravely, and never as a victim. She was – as one of her friends aptly put it,
intrepid. Even at the end of her life
when faced with declining health and very real limits on so much that she
loved, Mom never had a pity party.
Life is an adventure. Whether you’re out there
seeking a new adventure or if life has dealt you a very difficult hand to play,
go for it! – Mom would say, “Can’t never did anything.”
Face life – even the difficult things - as an adventure. Be boldly courageous, and
you’ll have a lot more fun whatever comes your way.
People are important – Mom loved
people. She was genuinely interested in
whomever she met. Mom asked lots of
questions – not because she was nosy, but because she truly wanted to know who
people were. She had lots of friends,
and people were naturally drawn to her – especially young people. I think that the reason young people liked
mom was because she immediately treated them with respect. She asked their opinions and took them
seriously as persons. Mom saw the humor
in situations – irony and absurdity – and appreciated it with laughter. In most of my fondest memories of Mom she’s
laughing.
As a
nurse mom demonstrated strikingly how important she felt people are. Even her presence was healing, and she cared
for her patients tenderly and competently.
For years she served in Employee health at DRMC. She took that job very seriously and found herself
not only nurse, but sometimes confidante and therapist. She was always faithful with whatever was
entrusted to her – whether someone’s health or their secrets.
Over
the years Mother opened her home to many people. She cared for people in very practical ways –
offering the hospitality of her cooking and friendly conversation. There was always room for one or two more at
the table. We were often dismayed at the
amount of food she’d buy and put in the freezer, but those supplies made it
possible for her to offer hospitality to unexpected guests without feeling
stressed out. For mom, it was always the
more the merrier.
People
are important. Mom’s life demonstrates
in very real ways what it looks like to love our neighbor. Take a real interest in other people. Be a faithful friend. Treat others with respect- especially young
people. Offer hospitality.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words – The Wandanator was a woman of action. As much as she liked to chat with people,
when it came down to the nitty gritty of living, she’d rather do what she
believed than talk about it. Mom didn’t
spend a lot of time talking in the theoretical.
In fact, I can’t remember a single time I heard her say anything
remotely theoretical. She was a
practical person. In her mind it was
fine to tell someone you love them, but it’s even better to show them. It’s fine to have principles, but better to
live them out.
We
all know that Mother loved to have her say.
She didn’t mind telling us what to do or how to do it. Now that she’s in heaven, maybe she’d be more
apt to quote from Scripture than she was before, so I thought it would be
appropriate to leave my siblings and myself – and all of you- with a final
instruction about being a person of action – this one from Philippians 2: 11-13
: 12 Therefore, my beloved, just as you have
always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, enabling
you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
For the last couple of years Mom was working on
writing down her life story. She only
made it to the mid 1970’s, but the last word she wrote was Hallelujah. I think that’s fitting. We praise God for the incredible gift that
Wanda May Weese Perez was to us. We
praise God for His work in and through her.
And we praise God that she has finished the race and kept the faith. Hallelujah.
