Mother

Mother’s Day is a wonderful time to honor our mothers and to show our appreciation for all they mean to us.  I am incredibly blessed to have a close and loving relationship with my Mother.  She not only chose to give me physical life, but she loved me to Jesus at a young age. 

When my parents retired and considered moving to the Salem area, we discussed the idea of an inter-generational living arrangement.  We knew that someday in the future one of them would most likely be left alone, so we decided to build an apartment onto our home so they would be close by.  The idea was to be proactive and be available to help them when the time came.  Little did Steve and I realize that we were the ones who would benefit from such a living arrangement.  Our children benefited from their grandparents' love and attention, but most importantly, they observed Godly grandparents who walked the talk and lived out their faith in tangible ways.  We all observed their hard work ethic and loving way they served others.  In their early 90s they were still involved with Nursing Home Ministries, holding chapel services and in their words “ministering to the elderly.”   Mother still lives in her apartment attached to our home, prepares her own meals and takes daily walks, spends much of her day reading her Bible and is a faithful prayer warrior. She is humble, gracious, sweet and literally lives the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). 

A few weeks ago my mother celebrated her 97th birthday. Family members were asked to give one word that described Mom, Grandma and Great Grandma.  Attributes shared: amazing, helpful, prayer warrior, compassionate, Godly, beautiful, sweet, great sewer, so good, sharing, queen, rich heritage, heart, best mother in the world, selfless, sincere, humble, genuinely interested in others, great mother in law, nice, gracious, hospitable, loving.

As the years pass and our roles have changed, it is not only my responsibility to lovingly care for my Mother, but an honor and privilege to bestow on her the same love she has shown me. I thank God for blessing my Mother with long life and in doing so, blessing our family with her love, wisdom and faithful prayers.   

Proverbs 31: “Her children will rise up and bless her, her husband also and he praises her saying,'many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all.’ … A woman who fears the Lord shall be praised."
--Rhoda Hunter