Sermon Tone Analysis

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On behalf of the family, I’d like to welcome you as we remember and celebrate the life of Linda Louise Boylan.

Life can be so busy.

Often we go on like there will always be more time, but suddenly we realize time is fleeting.

These days force us to hit the pause button for a bit.

Everything else will just have to wait.

Today we’ll remember a beautify lady; a sister, a mom, a grandma, a loved-one, a friend, and so much more.Prayer

Prayer

Eulogy

Linda Louise Boylan, 74, passed away April 2, 2018.

She was a homemaker.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Mike R. Boylan and son, Robert Burns.

She is survived by her brother, John (Jean) McGrigg, her children, Rick (Elizabeth) Burns, Kelly L. Burns and Michelle (Michael) Moore; grandchildren, Michael, Robert and Abigail Burns, Gus and Max Moore.

It’s customary to read the obituary, but how can you describe a life in a few lines?

How can you capture the love and joy and sacrifice of decades of a million choices.

A short obituary simply won’t due.

No it’s the words of family members that are shared and memories revisited that tell the story.

Abby (granddaughter)

Grandma, you were the loveliest person I’ve ever known with the biggest heart.

You had the most beautiful, dainty soul and you touched the heart of every single person you met.

I remember when you first moved into the nursing home, all of the nurses would tell me I had the sweetest, most adorable grandmother and Lord, did I know it.

I will always remember that as a little girl I looked up to how perfect you and grandpa were for each other.

The love between you two stretched far and wide and swelled to encompass everyone in the room with you.

When grandpa passed, he took half of your heart with him and even though none of us wanted to see you go, I’m forever thankful to God that your heart is once again filled with joy and unconditional love and that you get to spend forever with grandpa.

You were and always will be one of my greatest role models in life, always showing me how to forgive and love those who needed it most.

I’m so happy my parents gave me your middle name so I can have you with me forever.

Love you so much grandma.

You were as darling as they come.

Max

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.

2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.

3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.

4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you.

For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

I studied this verse last night at bible study, the chapter continues to talk about how this is going to be the hardest sermon to give to his kids.

He means there will be believers who instantly buy in and trust the process, but there will be those that don’t believe and need to have more truth to the word, than the letters on the page.

That was my grandma, never did she hear something and not want it said again, she wanted to understand truth in everyone, because she cared.

When I first planned out what I was going to come up here and say about my best friend going to her final resting place, I wrote out a story that I keep close to my heart, but her and I know that story and it made us both happy, so I thought I ought to leave it at that.

So, I thought what’s the purpose of coming up and talking and I had convinced myself not to.

But then I learned something that furthered my faith last night, the crazy thing is, it would have furthered her faith too, because for the last two years my grandma was searching for the truth in God.

She would ask me questions constantly and I would preach to her, she gave me the drive to become closer to God, only to bring her closer.

The verses I read to you earlier were the story of the vine.

This vine is an analogy from God of life.

This vine has branches, those branches are believers, what do vines grow?

They grow grapes, these grapes are the believers' hearts willing to give to those who aren't sure if they want to believe.

This Sunday, for the first time I realized grandma gets it, she went up for 1 on 1 prayer from a prayer partner at church and I think, I'm sorry, no, I know she finally felt confident in Christ as her Father.

Here's the great thing about God, it doesn’t matter how long you have accepted Christ as your Father, it is when, and when you do you are lifted and freed from previous sin.

He waits for all his children to accept him and he was waiting on my grandma.

I will leave you with this: God has taken another one of his children into heaven and for me that is all I need to know and it's what makes me be able to stand up here and smile.

Grandma I love you and you gave me a special friendship I will cherish forever.

Tell Grandpa, “We have them right where we want them.”

Can Only Imagine

No from the perspective of some of her kids

Rick

Insert or

Always saw mom as a fighter

Even in divorce, they always did the right thing

Felt as though the task was accomplished.

Michelle

he word, than the letters on the page.

That was my grandma, never did she hear something and not want it said again, she wanted to understand truth in everyone, because she cared.

I studied this verse last night at bible study, the chapter continues to talk about how this is going to be the hardest sermon to give to his kids.

He means there will be believers who instantly buy in and trust the process, but there will be those that don’t believe and need to have more truth to the word, than the letters on the page.

That was my grandma, never did she hear something and not want it said again, she wanted to understand truth in everyone, because she cared.

When I first planned out what I was going to come up here and say about my best friend going to her final resting place, I wrote out a story that I keep close to my heart, but her and I know that story and it made us both happy, so I thought I ought to leave it at that.

So, I thought what’s the purpose of coming up and talking and I had convinced myself not to.

But then I learned something that furthered my faith last night, the crazy thing is, it would have furthered her faith too, because for the last two years my grandma was searching for the truth in God.

She would ask me questions constantly and I would preach to her, she gave me the drive to become closer to God, only to bring her closer.

I would like to tell you about my mom and what ended up being a story of answered prayer.

The verses I read to you earlier were the story of the vine.

This vine is an analogy from God of life.

This vine has branches, those branches are believers, what do vines grow?

They grow grapes, these grapes are the believers' hearts willing to give to those who aren't sure if they want to believe.

I didn’t know it when it was happening, but as I have been reflecting on the events leading up to Monday morning, I can now see the story unfold.

I got the call that Mom was found to be unresponsive and Emergency Medical Services were there.

I rushed to her to find that nothing could be done to revive her.

This Sunday, for the first time I realized grandma gets it, she went up for 1 on 1 prayer from a prayer partner at church and I think, I'm sorry, no, I know she finally felt confident in Christ as her Father.

Since the reality of her passing, I have looked back over the days leading up to it and have realized that my prayers have been answered.

My prayers were that Mom would find comfort and peace, in particular, that she would receive that comfort from her relationship with Jesus.

Here's the great thing about God, it doesn’t matter how long you have accepted Christ as your Father, it is when, and when you do you are lifted and freed from previous sin.

He waits for all his children to accept him and he was waiting on my grandma.

Like many relationships, Mom’s relationship with Jesus had ups and downs throughout her 74 years.

Kelly and Rick have memories of going to church with Mom every Sunday.

I have memories of waking up to hearing her sing the hymn Onward Christian Soldiers ....

She believed, but had questions and things she didn’t understand, because of the losses she suffered.

She lost her mom in her early 20s and Robbie when he was just 9 years old.

That loss cut deep and ultimately greatly defined who she was.

She once told me that her Dad had told her that she had to be a soldier and be strong bc she had Rick, Kelly, and I to take care of, so she moved forward.

She did not completely turn away from the Lord after Robbie died, but I know she had questions..Despite that, she made sure I went to VBS and her, Mike, and I went to church, and when she couldn’t I went with Tracey and her grandparents.

So I know it was important to her, even if at the time she couldn’t turn to God for comfort for herself.

As I was growing up, she had her moments of deep sadness and depression, but as a child, I remember her more, as energetic and happy.

I remember times during the summers when she would come in and fling the blinds open and say get up, we are going to King’s Island, or maybe Turkey Run.

I remember waking up to the sound of her singing!

Oftentimes she would mess up the words and just make them up as she went along!

She was my safe place as a child and always there for me to come to and lay my head in her lap and cry when I needed to.

She always wanted to make people happy and she would do that by giving them gifts and tending to them.

To her that was love, so she enjoyed receiving gifts and being tended to in return.

She sought comfort in the people around her, she especially found it in Mike, with Kelly and their travels and antiquing, in Rick and Beth, and Mike and I.

She got great joy from her grandchildren Michael, Robert, Gus, Abby, and Max.

She loved talking with and spending time with her brother, John and sister-in-law, Jeanne.