We are all better people for knowing Marian. She always had a smile on her face, and if you met her once, you were a friend for life. She remembered everyone's names forever and gave hugs more generously than anyone. She also had the gift of being able to walk up to a total stranger and start a conversation about anything under the sun.

Seeing Marian was a special treat - she was ALWAYS so genuinely happy to see people, and no matter how good or bad your day had been, you couldn't help but feel a warmth in your heart as she enthusiastically gave you a hearty "hello (NAME) ...  hello and how are you (NAME)" with a big ol hug and a smile as big as Texas to boot. . . and then went on to visit about this and that and everything  she could think of.

Marian was a lover of puzzles, big pretty necklaces, baby animals, going places and of life in general.

She especially loved small animals of all kinds - growing up, she thought her Daddy's goat kids were the prettiest little things.  She could watch them for hours jumping up on things and would often catch them and love on them for a while until they were ready to go off and frolic again. Puppies had an especially warm place in her heart, and she would play endlessly with them. Her most recent pup Beth was no exception. She could always pull Beth up in her lap and love on her, and Beth loved her right back. They had a true devotion to each another.

Marian loved puzzles, especially ones with bright colors and pretty pictures. She also dearly loved going places.  You can bet she would be sporting one of her pretty necklaces and a ring on every finger most every time she stepped out of the house because to her, life itself was a special event. If there was a prize drawing, you could also bet on Marian winning. Any time Magdalena and Milton bought  chances, they put Marian' s name on it, and boy she was a lucky , lucky girl - winning everything from guns, to a bar-b-cue pit and even a $2,000 Visa Gift Card.

Above all things, Marian loved her family and her God and Jesus fiercely.

She loved her daddy Milton dearly and loved to go with him any and everywhere. Their adventures often took them to the feed store or the gas station, giving her a chance to visit with everyone she saw. When her daddy was building fence, she would often sit close by in the pickup, waiting for their next adventure or chance to visit with people. We imagine he welcomed her home with loving arms and a big ol hug as she laid her head on his chest once again in his strong embrace.

She loved her Momma Magdalena so, and was her special girl. They spent hours together in the kitchen as Magdalena worked her magic in creating delicious dishes to share with family and visitors who soon became family. Marian took such good care of her  Momma,  especially in recent years - hanging up laundry, carrying in wood and making it possible for them to stay together at the family ranch in Harper.

It is so fitting then, that Marian is covered today in the double wedding ring quilt so lovingly stitched by her Momma and Daddy. Magdalena pieced it, and Milton spent hours quilting it while Marian buzzed about and made sure he did it right - as only she could.

She loved her big Bubber Lorenz like no other. He got the nickname before she could say brother, and it stuck. Bubber was always her protector and knight in shining armor, and oh how she looked up to him. When he came home from TSTI, she was always so excited  to see him . . . but by Sunday she was always asking " when are you leaving?" - perhaps wondering when he'd be off on his next adventure so she could be off on hers. On the morning she gained her Heavenly wings, her Bubber helped brush her teeth and cared for her in a way only a big brother can. What a beautiful love they shared.

In her special way, Marian looked to Jannabeth for wisdom and understanding in a world she couldn't always grasp, and to Loren for love, physical strength and support.

Marian was on this earth doing God's work. Without even realizing it, she taught us so many things. If we stop for a minute and think about it, she was probably a much better teacher to us than we ever were to her.

Marian showed us how to genuinely be happy to see people and how to make people feel important and brighten their days just by loving, smiling and hugging generously.

Marian taught us how to find pure joy in the wonderful and colorful things and small animals God put in our world.

Marian taught us how to look at life as an adventure - she was always ready to go somewhere and see people.

In those adventures, she also showed us the importance of slowing down enough to take the time to visit and how to really BE in the moment with people.

You can bet Marian was READY TO GO somewhere last week, and you can imagine the adventure she's having in Heaven visiting with everybody and talking God's ear off. Marian's special work on earth is done and she is made whole again in God' s eyes. Her earthly struggles are gone as she sits with her Daddy talking non-stop of their earthly adventures and what they are going to do next.

We will leave you today with a final thought. There' s a popular song called The Rainbow Connection that expresses the beauty of Marian' s special work on earth. The words say, " Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what' s on the other side? Rainbows are  visions and only illusions , and rainbows have nothing to hide. So we have been told and chose to believe it, that someday we will find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers , the dreamers and me."

Marian was truly a rainbow connection. She  made the connection from the colorful innocence of childhood where loving fiercely and generously are a given to a world of illusions that so often forgets what really matters. Marian leaves with us a special legacy and an example to follow - to love fiercely and genuinely with no judgement, smile generously, and see the rainbows in the world around us with a happy heart. If only we could all learn to love and live and be a rainbow connection just like that.

"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. . . Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." Genesis 9: 13 and 16