How does one even begin eulogizing the most important and influential person in one’s life? The person that taught some of the most valuable skills a Human Being can ever possess…the person who carried you in her womb and bravely brought you into this world. How on Earth do you begin eulogizing your Mom??? Greetings everyone…my name is Cathie, and I am the youngest of Rowena’s 4 children…
The day of my mother’s transition back to Spirit, my siblings bestowed upon me the greatest honor I’ll probably ever have in my life ~ to speak to all you now, on behalf of our beautiful and amazing Mother…ROWENA MCCRAE MASSE
It took me until about 24 hours ago to finally rise above my excruciating heartache & tears and connect with the higher vibration that Mom is residing in now to even be able to compose this eulogy…and when I finally did, I asked her directly… “Mom, how I do begin?’…and she promptly responded with, “Cathie, Go to your cards!!”…
So, for those of you who may not know, I have a love of the intuitive arts…I have a talent for interpreting messages from Spirit through either Tarot cards or through oracle cards…
I’ve been practicing my skills in the intuitive arts since I was a teenager…with many thanks to my Mother’s encouragement.
And maybe about 20 years ago, a very good friend of mine gave me this beautiful deck of oracle cards called Angelic Messenger Cards, and I was guided to use them as a catalyst for helping me to compose this eulogy, honoring our beloved Moo Moo, as I always called her…
Each card has just one word and a picture of a flower that resonates with the word…but I’m going to focus on just the word on the cards, and I decided to pull 8 cards…I’ve always loved the number 8, because when you lay it on its side it becomes the infinity symbol…
So, as I randomly pulled each card, I could feel the collaboration of the ethereal world with the physical world, and the incredible energy of Rowena McCrae Masse emerged in all her glory…(post script; as I read this aloud at Mom's internment on 6/11/19, there was a traffic incident at the corner of Connecticut Avenue and Georgia Avenue next to Gate of Heaven and emergency vehicles were blaring loudly)
And to assist me with my oracle cards is Rowena’s beautiful Granddaughter, Bonne <3
So, the first card that presented itself was COURAGE:
It took a lot of courage to be the eldest child in a dysfunctional household, to be the Big Sister who was forced to be “the adult” when sometimes the adults in her environment weren’t always capable of it. It took courage to look after her siblings in the midst of unpredictable chaos, and then to leave her home environment and her academic aspirations when she was barely 20 to marry a man she hardly knew to start her own family.
It took a lot of courage to push through post-partum depression after her first child was born, and to trust that she had what it takes to be a great Mom. It took a lot of courage to be the comforting, grounding Angel when her loved ones were at some of the lowest, darkest points in their lives…it took a lot of courage for her to be a pillar of strength and to throw out that lifeline, that probably most of us here has had the honor of receiving from her at some point in our lives.
It took a lot of courage to transform herself & her entire life after experiencing the greatest heartache a parent can ever endure, and then a year later the greatest heartache a child can endure, then JUST the year after that, the greatest heartache a spouse can endure…it took a lot of courage to move through all of that grief…the kind of grief that would flatten most people, but not Rowena…not my Mom…she rose up like a beautiful Phoenix, and stepped into her power, accomplished her aspirations, and created a life that she loved…She attracted to her, like a magnet, the love of her life ~ her beloved husband, Jerry…My mother’s courage was beyond inspirational, it was outright magical!!
The second card to show itself: AWARENESS
My mother was acutely aware of other people’s feelings…in fact, you could call it her Super Power…
Her compassion, her patience, her ability to nurture made her exceptional at making anyone feel at home, to feel comforted, to be at peace…she had the most amazing way of helping you see all sides of a situation in order to come to your own resolution…she didn’t interject how she thought you should feel, she gave the space and the foundation to come to healing on your own, but to not be alone, right? She was in fact, the proverbial “bridge over troubled water”…
Card No. 3…so appropriate for a Mother: TENDERNESS
It takes an extraordinary person to go through so many unimaginable struggles and to still be so completely tapped into her tenderness….whether it’s for her family, her friends, the young person struggling with life’s hardships, the participants at the ARC of Montgomery County, or the cancer patient who didn’t have a ride to their chemotherapy appointment…my Mom demonstrated a kind of tenderness in her selfless actions that put her in a category all her own…
Somehow those words of encouragement, the acts of kindness, the gifts from the heart, the holding of space to heal and grow were always streaming effortlessly from my Mom…she had the innate ability to make you feel extra special…because the truth is… you are…and she knew it…and she made sure that you knew it too!!
The next card pulled is very sacred & special: DIVINE GUIDANCE
Although she kept a rather low profile as a "typical suburban housewife", my mother was totally tapped in her Divine Guidance…so much so that she introduced the family to transcendental meditation in the mid-70’s, and I can recall having many, many fascinating spiritual & metaphysical conversations with my mom & my siblings throughout my whole life. She turned to her Divine Guidance to help her through her toughest moments in life, and she imparted that spiritual strength to her children to give us a strong foundation that has served us very well, and will most certainly continue to do so.
Which brings up to Card No. 5: EXPANSIVENESS
Mom had the incredible ability to send love in such an expansive way, that I have no doubt that she’s touched the lives of so many people that she doesn’t even know in very profound and far-reaching ways…
And when you expand the energy of Love in that selfless way, it creates even more love…and this Love grows, and thrives…and makes the world a better place. Ya know, maybe she never dressed like it, but my Mom was a groovy flower child of the Universe who spread love abundantly everywhere she went….but she just did it in her own conservative way.
And speaking of ABUNDANCE that would be Card 6:
My Mom was abundantly beautiful…in every way… inside and out – period!!!…She had an abundant Spirit, and seemed to have a reserve storage of abundant energy, that even if her life was in turmoil, she could still find abundant love within herself to give to someone who was in need of it…and to be able to give abundant love like that, even when your own life is in tatters, well that’s the stuff Angels are made of…and that was my Mom…she was an Earth Angel!!!
Card No. 7: COMMITMENT
My Mom was committed to living her best life, she was committed to contributing to Society in meaningful ways, and she was committed lovingly to her family, to her friends, and to the people she included in her life. She was committed to making sure that we knew how wonderful we are, how loved we are, and how important we are to her.
She had an amazing way of making you feel so special and for helping you to recognize your own beauty. She was committed to standing by her family, especially during our darkest hours…she was our anchor, our sail, our oasis… She was our Florence Nightingale when we needed healing, our Gracie Allen when we needed a laugh, and our Ginger Rogers when we wanted to dance…she was our biggest cheerleader, she was our sounding board, our support system, our best friend and our Matriarch…
She nursed us through our mistakes & our sorrows and she joyfully helped us celebrate our hard won victories and our milestones….
She was committed to making sure that we always stayed connected…and that beautiful connection will never be broken!!!
Which is why card No. 8 is the most precious of all: BLESSING
My Dear Mother, you are such a blessing in all of our lives…Yes, your physical body is returning to the Earth now, but your inspiring, persevering courage, your intelligent, compassionate awareness, your loving, patient tenderness, your Divinely guided intuition & support, your expansive, abundant heart, and your unwavering commitment to your family and friends has been a blessing to us all, and has left an indelible mark on all our lives…
We feel you are closer in our hearts than ever before, and we are grateful for the blessings you will continue to bring to us as we stay connected to your beautiful Energy.
Mere words cannot express the enormous love that we feel for you…and although we grieve that you are not on the physical plane with us anymore, we can take comfort in knowing that Your Spirit is most certainly shining on, and will continue to be a blessing to us forever more.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mom for gracing us with your incredible beauty, and for showing us the true meaning of LOVE.
Dear, Rowena, you are forever in our hearts…and we will see you on the other side….
Thank you, everyone…God Bless, & Amen <3
