A Pastor's Ponderings: A Tribute to My Mom and Moms Everywhere
I lost my mom last
Mother's Day (2021) to complications following surgery. The loss was painful, but I
don't believe that future Mother's Days should become a day of sadness and
mourning. Quite the opposite! I prefer to consider Mother's Day as a special tribute,
remembrance, and recognition. My mom was a beloved mother of four and a
treasured grandmother, great grandmother, wife, and friend.
She was born in
Erding, Germany, just outside of Munich, two years before the onset of WWII.
She loved to read, and the library was her home away from home. She directly
impacted me with that same passion, greatly influencing my life and career. For
20 years, she and my dad were snowbird RVers.
Two months
before her death, my mom and dad celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. Thankfully,
my dad will spend this Mother's Day with us here in Niceville. One of the many personalized
sympathy cards expressed the commonly held sentiments about my mom.
"God saw
she was getting tired, and a cure was not to be,
so he put his arms around her and whispered, 'Come with me.'
With tearful eyes, I watched her suffer and saw her fade away.
Although I loved her dearly, I could not make her stay.
A golden heart stopped beating, hard-working hands to rest,
God broke my heart to prove that He only takes the best."
Truly, heart-rending
words to read again! Like so many others in our communities, my mom was a
military spouse, and I would be remiss not to remind everyone of their sacrifices
during deployments. In 1967, my father was stationed at Andrews Air Force Base
and volunteered to go to Vietnam with the 7th Air Force—1967/1968.
My 29-year-old
mom was left with three pre-teen type-A boys, a new puppy and giving birth to
my sister. While my dad was there, the Vietcong attacked every major city and
base during the TET Offensive. I am proud of his Bronze Star, but my mom should
have received the Parental Distinguished Service Medal for conspicuous
gallantry. We must NEVER forget the tremendous sacrifices of those who do not
wear the stars, the bars and the stripes but keep the home fires burning.
To close on a lighter note: here are
seven truths my mom taught us:
1. HOW TO PRAY:
After spilling grape juice on the carpet, she instructed, "You better pray
the stain will come out."
2. PLAN AHEAD:
"Make sure you wear clean underwear because you could be in an
accident."
3. LIFE'S
PARADOXES: "Keep laughing, and I'll give you something to cry about."
4. HOW TO PERSEVERE:
"You'll sit there 'til all that spinach is finished."
5. SPOTTING
SEVERE WEATHER PATTERNS: "It looks like a tornado swept through your
room."
6. THE CIRCLE
OF LIFE: "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."
7. EMPATHY:
"There are millions of less fortunate children who don't have it as good
as you do!"
Pick up the
phone or visit your mom this Mother's Day. Tell her that you love her because you
are not guaranteed unlimited opportunities. The Bible exhorts every generation,
"Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when
she is old" (Proverbs 23:22). Happy Mother's Day.
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