PS I just realized I could paste this link to the spot page if anyone wants to see where I am:

 

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0TxQV7Mr3roMjYPKzOHHTosYfWDS6cWgx

Hi Gary,

August is a month that is always filled with high emotion for me. My Mom passed five years ago on August 15^th 2005 and my Dad passed 49 years ago today, August 29, 1961.

I would like to thank Gary Metcalfe for his kind words about my family …especially about my Dad and I so agree with him about the good, kind and very strong women who shaped so many lives in the Turtle Mountains…..I could mention dozens but I know that my Mom, my Auntie Cora Mongeon, my Godmother Janet Evans, Ella Metcalfe, Hanna Loeb, the Hosmer women (Lee, Inez and Jess), the women who cooked in our café Stella Schmietz, Charlotte Boguslawski, Eleanor Fauske (many more) shaped my life and I am sure countless more in our small community.

I think many of us would like to say “thank you” to these woman who made a great impact on our lives and dared us to be different. They brightened our lives, taught us about faith, prayer, compassion, loving each other and our neighbors – and especially for guiding our families with the help of our Lord.

I am going to share a part of my mother’s eulogy…the words were for my precious my mother who worked so hard for our family for so long by herself, she was a widow for 44 years, I think the words are simple but describe all the strong women in my life who either left a legacy of faithfulness for love of God, family and friends or will leave such a legacy.

Words written for part of Alma Gottbreht Eulogy – August 2005

Good example is a great gift you give others; it is the way she taught and the way she lived.

We all loved our mother in many different ways; but one thing was the same for all of us and that is we were proud to be a part of the sometimes hard, simple and devout life she lived. We thank God for the life of our mother and know that not even death can separate us, we have many wonderful memories and they will bless our days.

Mom’s proudest days were when she was working the hardest…raising eight children or being Daddy’s partner at Dales. Mom always said her talents were in simple tasks and service for others, but she often did feel proud of the achievements of her children or one of her 34 grandchildren. She lived her life and modeled her Christian virtue so that something of value would pass to her children and grandchildren.

She knew working together works…. She was the first to forgive and the last to complain, injuries or imagined injuries were best and soon forgiven and forgotten. She set an incredible example of love for sisters and brothers, she loved her own family so much and frequently shared stories of her parents and siblings and the hard but happy life they all cherished growing up on their farm.

Mother didn’t have an easy life and she never chose the easy way of life. Looking back we can see that she chose to like the things she had to do. Mom was never afraid of hard work, she was proud of the opportunities she had to work hard and make it an offering to the Lord.

Mother was a wonderful cook and many memories are shared around holiday meals and midnight suppers. Growing up we always had Sunday dinners often shared with Aunts, Uncles, and cousins. If you were sick, she sent her love by baking you bread or making you soup, in her younger days she was tireless in serving friends in need and had a big heart for people with mental challenges, she made them her friends and made a loving difference in their lives. Faith might inspire Christian effort but loving hands do the work and Mother had those loving hands.

Not only did mother give the example of how to work hard and be a follower of God but she gave the example of how to have fun sharing simple pleasures and would actually delight us with her sense of humor up to the very end.

Thank you Gary for letting me share this….as for my Dad….he died too young, he was only 45 but 49 years later we are all still proud to be a part of his life and legacy.

PS…Don’t want to forget those great men in Dunseith either…..Roland Mongeon is my Uncle, he is one of those great men and was like a father to me in lots of ways, I lived with him for 7 months in 1966 after Auntie Cora died and before I married. He is a great example of a life lived for the Lord, working hard and sharing your life and treasure with others….he will be 98 this week, I believe September 1^st. Nora and Roland have now been married 40 years this month…..We all live such busy lives but Birthday greetings or Congratulations would be wonderful!

Forgive me for making this so long………