We are rapidly approaching the seven year anniversary of our mom's death on the last day of March, 2009. I increasingly see the value of strong and Godly mothers in the lives of children. I wrote this the day after she died.I've always defined home as wherever my parents are. My first trip home, by that definition, came when my folks moved to California for one year as I entered college. It was a looooong drive from York, Nebraska to Thousand Oaks, California. Yesterday, I made my last trip home. As I stood in line waiting to board my Southwest flight in the tunnel, two women behind me were swearing loudly, using the most vulgar profanities. I cringed. I cringed because of my mother. To Mom, gee-gosh-golly were forbidden words that were never to be uttered and we were scolded when they blurted from our lips. I could never imagine those words even crossing the mind of Mom. I would guess her sense of proper and Godly speech came from her mother, my grandmother, who passed away before I was born. The things we are taught from the cradle stay with us. I mentioned at Dad's funeral that I can't chew gum in worship because of Mom. But there are so many things I can do because of her. A mother's exposure to and influence on her little ones might be the single greatest determining factor of success in a child's life. I know hymns because of my mother. I know the Word of God because of my mother. And I know right from wrong-even though I chose to ignore it at times- because of her, too. Dad used to tell me I wasn't married because I had never found one just like Mom. I think he was wrong on the marriage part but he was right on the uniqueness angle- Mom was one-of-a-kind.
Applicable quote of the day:
"A mother is not a person to lean on but a person to make leaning unnecessary."
Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Applicable quote of the day, # 2:
""What the mother sings to the cradle goes all the way down to the coffin."
Henry Ward Beecher
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
http://www.hawleybooks.com/
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
2 comments:
Great testimony from a loving son to a loving mother. I just read on a friend's blog his struggle over the death of his son. On his blog he shared some of his devotional thoughts. When you are settled back in Houston and are ready for some contemplative reading, let me know and I'll forward it to you. God bless.
Warren
what a WONDERFUL way to describe your mom! a loving mother raising her children in a Godly fashion certainly sets the stage for the way they will walk. I know that your mom set that same example for more than just her children - and that she is now enjoying the rewards that God had promised her!
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