*****
An autumn evening and I was cleaning up the dishes, when the phone rang. Overcome with weakness and the battle against cancer, my sister found the strength to leave a “few last words” with me. “Thank you for being a Godly mom, an amazing mom. Sarah and Matt are so lucky to have you. Through the good the bad, the joy the sorrow, the ups and downs, you have stayed the course, and never stopped walking faithfully. Now the fruit of their lives is showing forth. Your labors and example have not been in vain and you deserve to be proud.” Hanging up the phone, I pondered and gave thanks for the amazing example I had in my own mother, found the nearest box of tissues and just wept. Of all the things she felt worthy to highlight in our 42 years together, it was MOTHERHOOD. What an honor!! You see, there is a saying that goes , “ The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation”. Although I don’t always see it…… in a very profound way that night, through the words of my dying sister, I knew it. 24 hours later she would be in Heaven.
*****
From the triumphant, to the trivial, and yes, even the tragic, motherhood demands the best I have. Some days I get it right, some days well, not really. Dedicating myself first and foremost to the strengthening of my home hasn’t always been easy or without sacrifice. There are moments that call for putting my nose to the grind, putting my knees to the floor and not quitting. Then there are those moments where I quiet my heart, pull a book from the shelf, or remember a phone conversation and realize, I am blessed with the “most treasured” name on earth…....MOTHER