"Joy drenched me when
You, God: said
'Come inside my house.'
Now my feet stand within your
gates planted upon your wholeness.:
On Saturday night, April 2, 2011 at 11:00 p.m. Dotsy Chanona heard God's words "Come inside my house" and Dotsy very quietly, died. Surely at this very moment her feet stand planted on God's wholeness. We imagine her freedom as she is now released from the wheel chair to which she had been confined for the last phase of her earthly journey.
This beautiful woman known as Mummy to her eight children, Carolee, Al, Maureen, Tommy, Anthony, Margaret, Elizabeth and Robert was born in Belize City on February 6, 1922, to her parents, Bertha and Alvan Woods.
She lived her life in the countries of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Canada. On her return to Belize from Canada, she and her husband, Ernest, went to live on Blue Mountain Ranch on the Hummingbird Highway. It was at this ranch that Ernest and Dotsy gathered the family for celebrations and quiet times. After her husband's death, the ranch continued to be Dotsy's home and the place that drew family and friends around her.
When her health began to fail, Dotsy found a home with her daughter, Carolee. Here she was faithfully and lovingly cared for by her children. She continued to be the elegant and gracious woman she had always been. Her loving children, realizing that her life was shortening, gathered around her more frequently and Dotsy liked nothing better than this.
She and Ernest had nurtured a close-knit family, which not only celebrated with one another but also met to discuss their common challenges and to work toward solutions. Spouses were an important part of these gatherings. As grand children grew into adults, they too became an important part of this family. This says much about Dotsy and her capacity to create a loving community. The circle of love grew wider around her including her caregivers as well.
Even as her physical health diminished and this became more evident, Dotsy remained alert and interested in the life around her. She did not miss the nightly news, and continued to enjoy attending public and social events.
Dotsy's spirit was constantly nurtured by daily scripture readings, the rosary, Mass and the prayers and spiritual books that family members shared with her.
Recently I visited a small restaurant in Placencia where the owner spoke gratefully of her days in Mrs. Chanona's Home Economics classes at St. Catherine Academy. These were her favourite classes, the woman said, and it was there she learned to enjoy what she now does – creating a pleasant atmosphere and providing good food for customers.
Dotsy was a great cook who influenced many family members to try out new dishes, and those who did, always waited expectantly for Mummy/Granma's approval.
She was the matriarch, around whom the family in its many generations gathered. There is a wonderful photograph taken last year of a smiling Dotsy sitting up in bed surrounded by her eight children. Her legacy is Jesus' own legacy – "Care for one another".
Her children hold many memories of their mother. Here are a few they wish to share: an incredible witness of a "woman for others".
- her needs and desires were always second.
- a mother who insisted that first things come first, such as one's relationship with one's spouse, and the right of children to be raised in a Christian home.
- a person of great flexibility, adapting to the many changes that her life brought. as one who possessed a unique respect and appreciation for others.
- a mother who became a friend sharing with her children the love of beautiful gardens, books, recipes, and all of God's creation.
- a mother who took pride in her children's achievements, loved and spoiled her grand children, and who was always there for them.
- a compassionate and sensitive woman who had a very special gift of making each and every one of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren feel very special. In her children's words: " What a gift our mother was! What a huge heart that knew no bounds. Even in dying Mummy continued to show us her profound love, gave us the strength to say goodbye and to know that our ever loving God was waiting for her with open arms."
What more can children ask for than to have been known and cared for, and to belong. The ability to live life well and to contribute to the well-being of this planet is usually the harvest of a healthy and loving home-life, and that home does not just happen. It is created and brought forth by much labour and pain and by much love and laughter.
As we pause today to remember this gracious and elegant lady, we look to the fruits of her life – her children, grown into responsible, caring adults. This we can see. There is much in a life that is not visible to the eye. It is in her children and her children's children that Dotsy's goodness lives on.
So we say Good bye to this woman whose 89 years of life brought goodness to many. As I read once in an e-mail, it is the dash between the years that really matters.
1922 – 2011
Those 89 years that the dash signifies have created many memories for many people. Those 89 years now bring Dotsy to her God and God's final invitation: "Come inside my house." And Dotsie's response: "Now my feet stand within your gates planted upon your wholeness ." We will miss you. Rest in God, Dotsy.
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Source: The Belize Times
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