When asked to come up with a story, you feel the pressure and sometimes nothing comes to mind. You get glimpses of stories and events but not always one full complete story, at least that is what is happening to me. So my story is about what I remember.
I remember…
- Our yearly tradition of sleeping in sleeping bags on the floor on Christmas Eve right next to the Christmas tree.
- Sitting in the back of the yellow Datsun on the way camping, fishing or Grandma’s house playing on Aimee’s Speak n’ Spell. At times I could NOT understand what that dumb thing was asking me to spell so I would hold it up to Aimee’s ear and she immediately knew what it was. It must have worked, I never for got how to spell surgeon :).
- Hearing the theme song from Footloose and Aimee NOT being able to sit still, she had to jump up and dance
- Aimee always with a book close at hand or a nose in a book. A voracious reader we always gave each other reading suggestions and loved going to the big Powell’s store in Portland.
- Sitting upstairs getting ready to watch some TV with John. The TV took a long time to warm up, you could hear the noise of gunfire but not yet see the picture on the screen. Aimee ran up and said “Oh! Is that a killing show!?!”. We laughed and quickly realized we may need to watch something else…
- Taking my first trip to North Bend with Aimee to visit Ryan while he worked for the Oregon State Police one summer. What a blast and what fun to take a road trip with your baby sis :).
- Her hospitality and wanting to make you feel at home.
- Her incredible creativity from jewelry making to crocheting to flower arranging too… it was fun to see what she would come up with next.
- When she told me the doctors final diagnosis, that the tumors were continuing to grow. While that news was hard to hear, I will never forget what she told me that day. “I’m okay! The Lord has given me such peace ever since I was diagnosed. I’m okay!”. That look of peace in her eyes is something I will never, ever forget.
- Holding her hand as she took her last breath and was escorted into heaven. One of the hardest and yet one of the most amazing moments of my life. God’s presence was clearly there in that room with us as He welcomed her home.
Aimee’s legacy to me is that she lived life, loved her family, grew in her relationship with God and had incredible patience through good times and bad.
by: Marta Goertzen, Sister
Marta Goertzen is an entrepreneur, writer, WordPress Website developer, and nature photographer. She daily explores the trails and beaches of the South Central Oregon Coast with her dogs Oliver & Mochi. You can follow along on their adventures on Instagram. Marta also fully believes that change starts with gratitude and that gratitude can change everything. Find out how with the “Grateful Friday 7-Days of Gratitude Starter Kit”