A Tribute to a Beautiful Woman

This by far has been the roughest year of my life. It began with Carrin’s death last August. (2012)

I took a sabbatical from all I could just to heal. She was a treasure. I can still hear her giggle and when I am hard on myself, I hear her say, “Woman!” She loved me unconditionally and wanted me to learn to love myself as well.

No parent should lose their child.  Nothing in life prepares you for the loss. In Carrin’s case, it was a car wreck. Quick and sudden. No good-byes.

So you replay your life together from the time I was told I was having twins to the day they were born. The twins were named Margie and Carrin. My mom’s maiden name was Margie Carrin (pronounced Karen.) I have a beautiful sister named Karen. So I named one after mom and another after my sister, two important people in my life.

Carrin was a cheerleader in junior high, but the reality is Carrin was a cheerleader all of her life. My mind skipped merrily through her life.

I had struggled with depression while raising children, but Carrin radiated God’s love and a great zest for Life! She did everything with enthusiasm and excellence!  Her infectious smile could light up a room in a heartbeat. She was beautiful inside and out.

When I finally overcame depression, I went to Carrin to repent. She dismissed it with, “That’s in the past and we don’t need to talk about.”  For years I would beat myself up for the lack of nurturing I gave my awesome children. God gave them what I couldn’t. She loved her daughters deeply and oh! their birthday parties! She celebrated life.

When I began to do Mary Kay, I wanted my girls to do it with me. How I got into Mary Kay is another story. My second year, Carrin came alongside me. I was Queen of Sales and she was #3.

However, she was climbing the bank ladder to success. She became bank manager (where she had customers whose surname was Carrin). Because of the demands of that job, she no longer had the time to do Mary Kay. Three weeks before she died, she sent all of her Mary Kay inventory (after sharing with her two daughters) and supplies to me. She said, I know you are going to do something with Mary Kay and this is my way of supporting you. Always the cheerleader.  She did everything with that contagious energy, excitement and love, along with a beautiful spirit.  She knew how to put the spotlight on other people!

 She had a humble servant's heart and indomitable spirit. Few people knew how she struggled with Chron’s disease. She wasn’t a whiner. She believed she could beat it. She never had that opportunity.

Her life touched hundreds in big and small ways. Over 300 came to her viewing, many apologizing that they had to work the day of the funeral. They shared stories of how Carrin loved and cared for them. Some of the tears shed that evening were tears of joy when they shared how Carrin had touched their lives. It was Carrin being Carrin.

I wasn’t prepared for such a large funeral, but I should have known. She gave love unconditionally and made friends quickly. It was a fitting tribute to a special woman of God- a daughter, a wife, a mother and grandmother. She lived only 40 years, but she lived them well.

Today as a tribute to Carrin would you call a family member and a friend just to say, “I love you?”