Tomorrow is Mother's Day. It is such a poignant time of year for me, as God gave me the best mom possible! I love her dearly...yet she is in heaven now. God called my parents home to Him when I was 26 years old. To this day, I miss them dearly, but at the same time, I would not wish them back here for anything. I know they are in a Heavenly place, as you will hear all about, through a song I'm going to include on here, that my mom taught my brothers and I to sing when we were very young. :) Two songs I will upload to follow this post are: "Amen Brother, Amen", and "Heaven is a Happy Place". As you will be able to tell, Mama made serving and loving the Lord such a fun, natural thing to do! In the audios, my mom is playing the piano & singing, while my brothers and I enthusiastically sing right along. :) She could not read music well at all, but she could play anything majestically by ear...and my did she use her talent so joyously for the Lord. Every night, we went to sleep with Mama playing all the old hymns just like these, as well as singing along to them. It was such a comforting way to end each day. I will always cherish those times of bedtime.
Then there is the blessing of my own children. Oh my word...I can so understand my mama's joy in being a mother, as there are no words to express the richness of being blessed with children! When my children were little...although I couldn't play the piano like my mom could by ear...I would lay there with them, singing various old hymns, until they went to sleep. As they got older, I had a tape I made for them...I called it their "lullaby" or "bedtime tape". On it were many songs that I chose specifically for them to go to sleep to, but my all-time favorite I had taped on there, was El Sheddai. El-Shaddai means God Almighty, with El referring to the power of God Himself. The root word that Shaddai comes from means "breast", which signifies that Shaddai is one whom provides nourishment...whom thoroughly satisfies all one's needs...so that one can rest securely in His arms. I wanted my children to know that ElShedai was there to hold them as their Parent, even while they slept... much as a mother holds close her nursing infant.
I have enclosed below, some pictures of my mama, as well as some of my children, grandchildren, and myself. Even so, they are only a fraction of what I would have liked to have captured & shown of all of them. As well, although I am known as an obsessive picture-taker of my family, :) , many are not yet scanned in...so I had to go off of what was already on my computer for now. I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I did picking them. :)
I will close, by including a beautiful prayer that I read the other day in my devotional book,
The One Year Book of Christian History. When I read it, I thought of my children & grandchildren, and how it was so my prayer, too, for all of them. I know my mother would feel the same for myself, my siblings, her grandchildren, & her now great grandchildren. It is, in essence, every Christian parent and grandparents' prayer for their lineage of loved ones. The following was from the last will & testament of a Presbyterian minister, Andrew Duncan, in Scotland, written the 14th of April, 1626. In it, he wrote:
"As for the children whom God hath given me, for which I thank His Majesty, I leave them to His providence, to be governed and cared for by Him, beseeching Him to be the tutor, curator, and agent, in all their adoes, yea, and a father, and that He would lead them by His gracious Spirit, through this evil world; that they be profitable instruments...holding their course to heaven, and comforting themselves with the glorious and fair-to-look-on heritage, which Christ hath conquered for them, and for all that love Him....so I leave them behind me in the world; giving most humble and hearty thanks unto my heavenly Father for so long and comfortable loan of the same." Is that not beautiful, capturing the essence of every parent's prayer for their loved ones? When I read it, I knew that it was as well, this Mama's gift to her children & grandchildren, just as I know it would be my Mama's.
I thank you sweet Mama, for the best gift a mother could give their child...that of pointing me to a loving Father...or as my brothers and I so aptly sing in the audio: "Amen brothers, amen!" :) Happy Mother's Day my dear Mama!
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growing up pictures~ Mama sent her twirler picture to Daddy during WWII
Mama's wedding picture; 2 pictures Mama had taken for, and sent to Daddy during WWII
picture of Mama at her in-laws farm shortly after Daddy and her were married
My children, grandchildren, and self:
(1st row in birth order: Kristen 3 months, and I; Matthew 3 months; Nikki 10 months, and I)
(2nd row: Matthew and I for his bday dinner;Nikki, myself, and Kristen, Christmas 2006)
(myself with Austin & Daylin fishing) (Austin with his "Ma", which is me, Christmas 2006) (Daylin with his "Ma, as well, Christmas 2006)
Ahhh...can you tell why Mother's Day is such a blessed day for a mother? :)
A most blessed Mother's Day to each & every mother...a fine calling it is!
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