Today is the first Mother’s Day without my gentle Mom. She passed quietly from this life in November and my days have not been the same since. I was so blessed to be able to speak with her daily, to drop by whenever I felt like it, and to come whenever she called – her absence has left a large hole in my heart.
As I watched families celebrating their mothers today, and echoed our pastor’s prayer for the mothers in our church, my heart truly sent love to all mothers and celebrated who they are to their children and their families; they are, after all, the glue that holds many families together.
My mom was our family glue as well, and because of that especially, I am celebrating my mother’s life and my love for her today. Spending long moments with each memory as it comes to mind. Remembering her love for me, and her occasional exasperation with me. Holding tightly to the memory of the last prayer we prayed together. Revisiting the expression of love on her face as she created that last afghan for a family member – and my imagining of her smile if she could have seen the pure joy and humility expressed by that family member when she received the afghan in the mail several weeks after Mom’s passing.
The photo I’ve included is the earliest picture I have with Mom and includes my maternal grandmother and great-grandmother …. Celebrate your Mother. Whether she is still here, or whether she has passed on – Celebrate her. Cherish her. Love her. She is truly a gift from God.
From Suffering to Praise 