On this day, fourteen years ago - October 30, 2000 - my mother passed from this life into eternity. In many ways, it seems very long ago. And yet sometimes, it is still a very fresh memory. Hardly a day goes by that I don't think of her......remembering something she said; laughing at myself for doing the "I'll never do that" things she used to do; wanting to share something with her.
My mother was a tiny little woman, one who might have been described as "delicate". But she was mighty in spirit, a strong-willed woman who loved her children and their spouses. Who loved her grandchildren. She loved her husband and was devoted to him. And above all, she loved Jesus!
I learned so much from my mother. I learned that if something is worth doing, it's worth doing right the first time. I learned a commitment to excellence. I learned that details matter. And I learned practical things. Things like how to make really good macaroni and cheese, and how to sew, and how to properly make a bed. I learned how to be a good shopper. I learned that no matter what the price, it isn't a bargain if you don't need it! I learned about manners and about treating other people with respect.
I miss the twinkle in my mother's eye, the grin when she was really trying hard not to laugh out loud, and her laugh when she just couldn't hold it in! I miss laughing with her. Sharing those little private jokes.
I miss shopping with her. Pushing her through the mall in her wheelchair in the years after strokes began to take their toll.
I miss chatting on the phone. I miss her macaroni and cheese (none better, ever!).....her potato salad.....her fruit cake cookies. And her coconut cake and divinity at Christmas.
I admired and respected my mother's discipline and her dedication. Every Saturday afternoon, without fail, she was at the church getting her classroom ready for the 6 year olds who would come to Sunday School the next day. Then she would come home and bake a cake so we had dessert with our Sunday dinner. Often she got up extra early on Sunday morning to fry chicken so we didn't have to wait for our dinner when we returned home after church services. And every Sunday morning she made sure we were fed, dressed, and out the door in time for her to be the first to arrive in her classroom, ready to greet the first child who arrived. I can still remember how she always had supper on the table when Daddy walked in the back door from work. He never had to wait! The house was always clean. The food was always ready on time. I wish I could say the same of myself!!
One of the things I most remember about my mother was her love for her Savior. And her love for God's Word. Even in the later years of her life as her health was seriously declining, her Bible was always next to her on the bed. She read it faithfully every day. One of my treasured possessions is a set of index cards with Scripture verses - the verses she had memorized - written in her own hand, well-worn from use.
I loved my mother. I respected her. I admired her. And especially on this anniversary of her passing, I miss her.
Fourteen years ago, I watched my beloved mother take her last breaths in this life. It was a sad morning. A difficult morning. It was one of the few times in my life that I ever saw my daddy cry. It was on that morning, fourteen years ago, that I had to say to him, "It's over."
But it isn't over. Not really. Because there is the promise that we will see each other again. And though I still miss my mother so very much, I don't "grieve as those who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
Because "since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep." (1 Thessalonians 4:14 ESV).
Until that day comes, I remember. And those memories make me smile.
"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." (Proverbs 31:26-30 ESV)
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