Day 24: I remember Mom

     Right now, a breeze sweeps through the hanging branches of the cedar trees outside my window. The faint sounds of the creek, dwindled by the summer, drift through the woods. All day, the sky has been foreboding, as if at any time a thunder storm could stir itself up and wash the day clean with its rain.

     I must admit, it's hard for me to slow down and relax unless I get away from my home. There are always so many things asking for my attention, pets to wash, laundry to do, bills to pay, letters to write. Occasionally, tired, worn out from work, recreation and life I take a time out, like now for instance. Two small wind chimes, making their music in the breezes are my companions through mornings, evenings, the seasons of my life now.

     Near my front door, a valiant, persistent rose, Angel Face, produces dozens of bright pink roses to welcome me home.That rose, somehow touches me with it's spirit to live. No one pays much attention to it, but there it grows, providing beauty and fragrance faithfully, year after year. For each of us, there are those small islands of peace and beauty where we can find comfort. Maybe it's a favorite coffee cup and a comfortable chair where we've curled up with many a good book. For me, a source of continual comfort is my Bible. The cover is worn and tattered. The pages have their corners curling, and here and there a fingerprint or two can be found. Inside, my favorite verses are underlined, and in the margins are dates when these verses stood out with particular emphasis. Scattered throughout are notes of certain benchmarks in my life, a word or two here and there reminding me of urgent needs or making records of answered prayers; words that encourage my heart when darker days appear.

     This Bible bears testimony of times of heartache, times of sorrow, times of joy. It is like an old friend whose familiar voice is so good to hear on the phone. In times of need, in times of pain I go to my Bible and find comfort. When my mother died, I received several of her Bibles. In her Bibles, her favorite verses are also underlined, here and there messages of hope or courage are written in the margins; or pleas for a loved one's needs. What I would give to hear my mom's voice again, to see her smile when given some small gift of something she enjoyed. But, although she is gone, so much of her remains through memories of the things she did to celebrate life, and communicate love. Though these reminders in her Bible is communicated the story of her own journey through life.

     She is gone for now, but someday I trust, I will see her again, without that weakness of old age she really didn't like, or the struggle of losing her eyesight so she could no longer read at age 91. She learned, through her years to enjoy the little things. To treasure the beauty of her hanging baskets of fuchsias or the rows of petunias with their bright, fragrant faces. She loved to cook, and treasured the joy it gave others to sit down and enjoy a good meal, steaming hot and fragrant. Throughout her life, she baked a thousand pies, more cookies, and tended her home with a sense of purpose that instilled a love of beauty in those whose lives she touched. 

     Her favorite spot as she became older was her comfortable rocking chair with the small table next to it where she kept her Bibles, devotional books and boxes of cards. Her letter and card writing remained a ministry to her family and friends into her nineties. A cheerful word, a few dollars tucked in for a special treat. Her children and grandchildren loved hearing from grandma. She always tried to say something positive to them about their life, and continually reminded them that God loved them and would remain faithful to them all the while encouraging them to be faithful to Him.

     Now and again, as I go through some of my boxes, looking for this or that, I will find one of her cards, her quiet ministry of love sent with messages of hope and encouragement. As she learned to enjoy the beauty in her own life; she learned to create beauty and "home" for those in her life. She will be always be remembered for these outreaches of love and kindness to those she met. Whether it was fixing a luncheon for a group of Bible study women, or decorating for the holidays mom always wanted to share beauty.

     How thankful I am that I had this rich heritage in my life. As a working mom now, I must admit it's more than challenging to measure up to my mother's standards, but here and there I try to find a way to show that same care to those I love. Granted, more often than not, I find myself buying people things, taking them places in lieu of making dinner, but I continue to try. Love comes in many shapes and sizes, but as long as it is continues to be demonstrated the legacy will continue.

     If you are one of the many people, who did not ever have that opportunity to experience a legacy of love, take heart. God who is the author of all love, still waits to write on your own heart and life His message of eternal love. He is only a prayer away. You can learn how to create your own legacy for now and for eternity.

May your today be filled the comfort of home, the memories of those you love and treasury of being loved. "I have loved you with an everlasting love." ~God