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我的母亲汤东梅女士1937年11月14日生于中国湖南省临湘县白羊田镇上边汤家，2025年9月5日早上因心脏衰竭在加拿大多伦多去世。她一生经历不少痛苦和艰难，但也多蒙神的保守和祝福。她爱家人和亲友，也深为家人和亲友所爱。母亲能干又勤劳，热心待人，是家人、亲友和教会弟兄姐妹心中敬爱的长辈。

我的外祖父是一位郎中，母亲小时候家境不错。外祖父不但深谙医术，而且医者仁心，经常减免穷苦人的费用，所以不但得乡亲们的尊重，也让母亲从小耳濡目染，对人热心慷慨。母亲生于日军侵华时期，幼年常随家人逃难；童年时经历几年和平，得以完成小学学业。1949年中国政权变易，外祖父于政治运动中被迫害至死，母亲和外祖母被扫地出门，曾短暂乞讨为生，后依附兄姐生活。

1954年，母亲与父亲任兵权结婚，之后育有我大姐任平平、二姐任凡平、我、和我弟弟任四新，有9位孙辈，并得见11位曾孙辈。母亲非常勤劳能干，善于持家。在一个物资普遍贫乏的岁月，我们一家总是有吃有穿；母亲还跟父亲一起经常周济路过的穷人。在当时的农村，很多家庭的孩子们都早早辍学，母亲却非常有远见，总是鼓励我续升学读书。1991年，当我要出国留学时，母亲虽不舍，却依旧全力支持。

1996年，当我们生了老大后，母亲就来到加拿大，跟我们同住，帮助我们养育老大。之后的近三十年，她先后帮助我们养育天悦 (Jonah)、以琳 (Elim)和天霖 (Jesse)，三个孩子在奶奶满满的爱中健康成长。母亲来了加拿大后就跟我们一起去教会听福音，很快接受耶稣基督的救恩，并于同年8月受洗。此后，母亲每周敬拜，参加小组活动。日常生活中，哪怕是身体软弱的日子里，也常读圣经和祷告，并为家人和弟兄姐妹代求。在各样的艰难挑战中，我们可以听到母亲的祷告声。最近整理母亲的遗物，看到她抄写得满满的圣经经文。

母亲在2015年被诊断患有心力衰退，当时的心脏专科医生判断说，她大概还有3-6个月的寿命。但妈妈靠神的恩典慢慢恢复，神加给了她10年的寿数。在这十年里，她隔三岔五和中国的家人用微信视频通话，享受亲情。2017年，母亲回国探亲，和中国的家人亲友度过几个月的美好时光。母亲看着我们的三个孩子长大成人，并在去年参加了老大的婚礼，她感觉非常欣慰。同年，我的大姐大姐夫也得以来加拿大和她共度了近两个月的美好时光。

母亲走得非常安详，完全就像是睡了。我们虽然极其伤痛，但同时也很感恩。她虽然经历过很多痛苦和艰难，但神给了母亲非常大的祝福。她的一生，就是诗篇23篇的见证，“耶和华是我的牧者，我必不至缺乏…我虽然行过死荫的幽谷，也不怕遭害。因为你与我同在…我一生一世必有恩惠慈爱随着我。 我且要住在耶和华的殿中，直到永远！” -- 任大立

My mother, Mrs. Tang Dongmei, was born on November 14, 1937, in Linxiang County, Hunan Province, China. On the morning of September 5, 2025, she passed away in Toronto, Canada, due to heart failure.

My mother’s life was marked by both hardship and God’s grace. She went through much hardship, yet also received many blessings. She loved her family and friends deeply, and was in turn deeply loved. Hardworking, capable, and warmhearted, she was a cherished elder to our family, relatives, and brothers and sisters in the church.

My grandfather, her father, was a traditional physician, respected in the community for both his skill and his compassion in treating the poor. From him, my mother learned generosity and kindness at an early age. She was born during the Japanese invasion, often fleeing with her family as a child. For a brief time she enjoyed peace and was able to complete primary school. But in 1949, after the change of government, my grandfather was persecuted to death. My mother and grandmother were driven from their home, forced at times to beg for food, and later relied on the care of her siblings.

In 1954, my mother married my father, Ren Bingquan. They had four children: my older sister Ren Pingping, my second sister Ren Fanping, myself, and my younger brother Ren Sixin. She also lived to see nine grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. My mother was a tireless and capable homemaker, providing for us even in times of scarcity. Together with my father, she often helped poor travelers passing through. At a time when many rural children had to leave school early, she encouraged me to keep studying. In 1991, when I left China for graduate studies abroad, she supported me wholeheartedly, even though it was hard for her to let me go.

In 1996, after the birth of our first child, my mother came to Canada to live with us and help raise him. Over the next three decades, she poured her love and energy into caring for our three children—Jonah, Elim, and Jesse. They grew up surrounded by their grandmother’s love. After arriving in Canada, she joined us in attending church and soon accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. She was baptized in August 1996 and remained faithful throughout her life—worshiping, attending fellowship, reading the Bible, and praying for her family and church community, even in her weakest days. Recently, as we went through her belongings, we found notebooks filled with Scriptures she had copied by hand.

In 2015, she was diagnosed with heart failure, and her doctor told us she might only have three to six months to live. By God’s grace, however, she lived for ten more years. During this time, she regularly video-called family in China, and in 2017 was even able to went back to China to visit them for several joyful months. She lived to see our children grow into adulthood, and last year attended the wedding of our eldest son—a great joy for her. That same year, my older sister and my brother-in-law were able to spend nearly two months with her in Canada, which gave her much comfort.

My mother passed away peacefully, as if simply falling asleep. While our hearts are deeply grieved, we are also grateful. Her life bore witness to God’s faithfulness and blessing. Truly, her journey reflected the words of Psalm 23:

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want... Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me... Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

— Ren Dali