I’d like to start off by reading an excerpt from something that was recently sent to me by a dear friend.
By the time the Lord made woman, he was in his 6th day of working overtime. An angel appeared and said “Lord, why are you spending so much time on this one?”
And the Lord answered, “Have you seen my spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable, and be able to run on coffee and leftovers; have a lap that can hold four children at once; have a kiss that can cure everything from a broken knee to a broken heart. AND she will do everything with only two hands.”
The angel was astounded at the requirements. ”Only two hands. No way! That’s just too much work for just one day! Why don’t you wait until tomorrow to finish?”
“Oh no,” the lord protested. “I am so near to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart. She can already heal herself when she is sick AND can work an eighteen hour day.”
The angel moved closer and touched the woman. “But you have made her soft, Lord.”
“Yes, but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish.”
Then the angel noticed something wet on the woman’s cheek. “Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model.”
“That’s not a leak, that’s a tear! That’s her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her love, her loneliness, her grief and her pride.
The angel was impressed. “You ARE a genius, Lord. You thought of everything. Woman is truly amazing.”
AND MY MOTHER CERTAINLY WAS!!!!!
Elleen Muriel Roehm Peters was born on May 4, 1920. She loved the story about how her father was told she had to have a middle name on the birth certificate so he named her Muriel after his favorite cigar. And her first name - a compilation of Helene and Ellen never stopped confounding those she met who always called her Eileen or Ellen. Her only sibling, Gilbert, was 9 years older. She grew up in awe of him and his musical talent.
Everyone who met Mom always told me how sweet and loving she was. The two most important things in life to Mom were her love of God and family. She lived a life of taking care of others. Even as she lay dying she was trying to make sure we would all be alright and have happy lives. Her father taught her that. He always put her welfare before his to a degree that few of us would be able to do. She adored him and vice versa. The one thing he couldn’t give her was a stable home life and so from the time she was 12, she lived at boarding schools, first with the Ursulines at Brown County and then with the Sisters of Charity at Mt. St. Joseph where she graduated both from high school and college. She wouldn’t have had the life she lived, met her many life long friends and eventually meet and marry my father had Grandpa Roehm not sacrificed greatly to give her a better life.
When Mom married my dad, Jim Peters, in 1942, she finally found the family she had always longed for. Dad’s mother and father, Leona and Ambrose Peters, became her role models and she gained two sisters in Grace and Maureen. Mom and Dad were married in the early days of WWII and a year later Dad was shipped overseas to the Pacific. Mom gave birth to her firstborn, Bill, not knowing that Dad had been fighting in the battle of Iwo Jima or whether he was dead or alive.
After the war, she settled into a life of raising children, volunteering at church and school, and cooking for family gatherings. She was a great cook - having received her degree in dietetics from the Mount, and she always thought family meals were important. During these years, she gave birth to me and then my two brothers, Jim, Jr. and Steve. I’m not sure she knew what to do with 4 children (especially 3 boys). For someone who had no experience with family life or children I think she did a great job. Eventually, her family would grow to include 4 children, 12 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren with one more on the way. She was so proud of All of them and so happy to have lived long enough to see her great - grandchildren.
Mom and Dad were married almost 56 years when he died in 1999. As much as she loved and missed him, she came to love and appreciate her new “family” here at St. Leonard’s. I think she felt she had returned to the safety and security and fun of her youth at boarding school- once again living in the “dorm”. She loved volunteering in the library and serving as her hall representative at the residents' council. She made so many new friends. But she also began really dealing with numerous health issues.
The last few years were a struggle to maintain her eyesight and live with a weakening heart and lungs. But she never gave up and no matter what maintained her sweet disposition throughout many eye surgeries, a corneal transplant and heart disease. We had many talks about her time on earth coming to a close - she understood so clearly that her time was probably short. She even helped plan this service with me. She didn’t want me to have to do it by myself.
Now she and dad are together again and with all those she loved who have gone before her. She’s reunited with her beloved father and brother, her mother, and Grandma and Grandpa Peters. She’s with God the Father of all in heaven. She’ll never be alone again.