Christ Leads The Way

“As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.” – Isaiah 66:13

Many thanks to all of you who so kindly show your love and support. It means more than I can express. As always: I appreciate you! Much love.

It’s important that we give people their flowers while we have the chance. I believe that no one should have to wait to get flowers from you when you lay them on your casket and that you shouldn’t have to wait to get one from them from your their graveside. More than ever before, as I mature in age, I realize that life is so fleeting. I could be here one hour and gone the next.

So I’m giving my mother her flowers now. My mom deserves so much more than that. She is truly one of a kind.

I don’t think there is ever a place that she goes where she doesn’t know someone or where someone doesn’t know her. She is the kind of person that everyone loves and gravitates to.

Her coworkers, the people to whom she provides services on her job, and family and friends alike all attest to the kind of warm and generous spirit that she has. That’s because they respect her and it’s because of the way she cares for them – like a mother would.

At least once every month, she takes time out of her busy schedule to visit people who are sick and shut-in to encourage them. She knows how to bring a smile to the most downcast. And nobody stays a stranger for long in her presence. I’ve never seen anyone else who is able to talk with a homeless person and to CEOs of her employers’ companies in the same way and get the same kind of response. She knows who she is and she doesn’t change or adjust her personality or principles for anyone.

My mom loves people. She always has. People seek her out for counsel, for support, and for comfort. Admittedly, sometimes I get annoyed at how everybody always goes to her for everything anytime they are in need, because I think that she needs a break from everyone else’s problems every now and then. She just naturally takes care of people. She will give people her last if they are in need – and oftentimes she has.

When she has to work night shifts, there are police officers who make a point to go to her job and make sure that she makes it to her car safely. And when she has transferred job locations or jobs altogether, those same officers go there, too, and do the same thing. If they ever aren’t able to, they send someone else to escort her. It’s not because they are required to do it; it’s because they want to do it. They care about her, and that’s a big deal.

The way that those officers show concern for my mother is evidence of the kind of concern and compassion she demonstrates towards others. She gives so much of herself to others, and she always does whatever she can to help people – even if it may not produce the best outcome for her.

Her genuineness and her ability to relate with others is a skill that can’t be faked. My mom is a lover of all people, she is a giver, and she is a friend to everyone she meets. She’s always thinking about others and putting others before herself.

If there’s anything that she has taught my sisters and me, it’s: be respectful of and kind to others; work hard; treat people how you want to be treated; persevere in the face of insurmountable challenges, and; love one another. And if ever we missed the mark – as children sometimes do – she disciplined us so that we would know there are consequences to actions and so that we would not repeat them.

My mom is the kind of mother who will support you until you are wrong. And if she knows that you are in the wrong, she will not have any part of it. But she will push you to do what’s right. That’s how she has always done us.

She has that kind of integrity where she stands for what is right and what is just and what is good, no matter who’s involved. She doesn’t compromise her beliefs or who she is for anyone – not even for her children or grandchildren. Yet, we all still know that she loves us. I think it solidifies that she loves us even more, in that she holds us accountable and responsible for our own actions.

She’s sweet, she’s smart, she’s funny, she’s generous, she’s compassionate, and she’s kind. She’s not afraid to speak her mind. She’s my mother.

And, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Keep that beautiful smile, love. Hold your head up high. And, don’t ever let anybody or anything take your joy away.

I love you, Ma.

“Honor your father and your mother, just as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” – Deuteronomy 5:16

Photo by Acharaporn Kamornboonyarush on Pexels.com