Waltrip Family Will Find Comfort in Mother's Love

This morning Michael Waltrip posted on social media about his mother,  Margaret, who passed away at 90 years old.

This morning our mom passed away. She laid peacefully in her bed with family by her side. Momma loved her bed and her house. It was just where she wanted to be. The love Mom was surrounded with was incredible. Not just that of the family but from her nurses, sitters and the wonderful ladies from Hospice. There are so many kind people in this world. I'm thankful for all of them.

Our family was blessed to be able to be with mom in the past couple of days. We were all able tell her we love her and she would smile and mouth 'Love you, too'. Knowing we were saying goodbye and Mom knowing we were there by her side made her passing as comfortable as possible.

Thank you all for your prayers. When details of the memorial are finalized, we will make them public.

Darrell Waltrip tweeted the following statement. 

'Mom went home to be with Jesus this morning, we had her for 90 wonderful years, we were all there this morning, thanks for your prayers,"

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Waltrip family.  The Waltrip family will find comfort as they grief.  The last days of their mother's life  they were all at her side. The family was able to assure her of their love. She also left them all knowing that she loved them too.  

The death of a parent is painful but those last days of comfort and love shown to their mother will serve to help them after the first few days are over. 

In the Blink of an Eye

'In the Blink of an Eye' is Michael Waltrip's recently released autobiographical book. I starting reading it two days ago and couldn't put it down until I finished it last night. The story moves quickly from his early years in Owensboro, Kentucky to his eventual successes in NASCAR's highest levels. You will want to read this before the 2011 Daytona 500 where Waltrip will once again race in the NAPA #15 on the 10th anniversary of the death of Dale Earnhardt in that race.

This is more than a recounting of the events in Waltrip's life. In the Blink of an Eye is the story of faith in his life. Waltrip doesn't tell us details of how faith came to him or what led to his strong faith. But we can see how his faith helped him face the difficulties in his life including the death of his father, his long winless years in NASCAR, the death of his mentor, Dale Earnhardt, and the break-up of his marriage.

Michael Waltrip and his brother Darrell are both big names in NASCAR. However, we have had very little insight into their complicated relationship. Waltrip makes us read between the lines to see exactly how their brother-brother relationship has developed.

In the Blink of an Eye is almost as much about Dale Earnhardt as it is about Waltrip. Earnhardt was both a friend and a hero to Waltrip. Waltrip was just beginning to fulfill his lifelong dream of driving for Earnhardt's racing team when Earnhardt was killed.

Waltrip carries guilt from many of the events in his life including the death of Earnhardt. He uses his faith to process these events and come to grips with the events.

I recommend this enjoyable book. It will give you insight into the world of NASCAR as well as the Waltrip family. Michael's humor is evident throughout the story and you will feel like you are listening to him talk on Inside NASCAR.