This Lady, Right Here...

On Feb 26th, 1935 a little baby girl was born who would alter my life.  Oh sure, it would be 55 years plus a few months and a daughter later, but alter my life she would!

Her name was Marlene Powers and I married her equally beautiful daughter, Lesley Kay Bushman in 1992 after first meeting her in late May, 1990.

Marlene is (I refuse to was!) my mother-in-law and one of the kindest, most gentle, loving, generous, caring, giving, and selfless people you could ever run across!  

She was the embodiment of what a human being should be. She could embrace the impossible and do it with a smile on her face.  It didn't seem to matter to her if she succeeded or not, she would simply approach the next moment in the same manner.  She could, and would, scold you in a way that told you that you were loved and in a way that you would NEVER want to let her down again!  She had a personality that excluded no person in her path.  

Not a word of that previous paragraph is an exaggeration!

When I would talk to people about my Marlene, the person, I would sometime get comments like, 'well, that's on the surface' or 'yes, you see that a lot, but...', they have a hard time believing that I am not only speaking about a mere human, but much less, my MOTHER-IN-LAW! You'll have to trust me on this one.  This lady represented the definition of a lady.  Pure class. Pure beauty.  Pure love.  A pure SOUL, through and through.

When I would talk to people about my Marlene, the Christian, I would sometimes get comments like, 'well, like most "Christians"...'  or 'yeah, but what is she like behind closed doors' or something to that effect.  My Marlene seemed to me the same whether serving at a church function, serving at a city event, or simply serving her family or guests a dinner.  It didn't matter where she was.  She was a pure CHRISTIAN, through and through.

No, please understand me! MY MARLENE was, and will always be, a beacon of true Christianity in a life that is often marred by selfishness, carelessness, spitefulness, greed, blackened hearts, and whatever else.  Ugly stuff.

She taught me that you can always be beautiful in an otherwise ugly world.

Marlene Bushman, I love you and I will remember you from my last words of "I love you, Marlene" and our last kiss goodbye.  You will always be beautiful to me and my family and we will never forget all that you gave...  which was everything!