This is the first Mother’s Day without my Mom, who passed away on June 6, 2018 at the age of 89. Yet, in so many ways I still feel her presence. I remember her laugh and when our family gets together, or we speak of her we often laugh at some of the things that she said and did that made us laugh. I remember her sweet nature and how she often thought of and encouraged others. I remember how she remembered her thirteen siblings’ birthdays and called them or sent cards. I remember Mom helping me work through anger towards my Dad and serving as a mediator of my feelings during those tough years of adolescence. I remember my mom working with my dad around the house, sitting by his side in church, her kissing him every day he went off to work and when he returned home each day. I remember seeing my mother work in her garden and her flower beds as though she was landscaping heaven. I remember her frugality and how she managed her household responsibilities on a minimal budget, looking for sales, cutting coupons, and canning fruit and vegetables. I remember how people far and near would speak of my mother’s baking and cooking skills. I remember joking with her on the phone and having breakfast with her on Saturday mornings for the last four years of her life. Yes, there is so much I remember when I think of my mom but most of all I remember her love for her family, her love for people, and her love for God.
Whether your mom is dead or alive, whether she raised you or did not, whether the memories were mostly pleasant or not, treasure and honor your mother today. I believe our success is tied to our ability to discipline ourselves to see the beauty in our genes and leaving the ugly behind. Remember the tender moments and understand that out of those moments can blossom beauty when we discipline ourselves to see beauty.