The Greatest Mother's Day Gift

To those of you who still have your mother, I hope you find yourself blessed with a precious gift. I would love to call mine and chat with her about the many events that have taken place since she left us for heaven.

 Our conversations that last year of her life were difficult because of her dementia. A few times when I called her, she’d tell me about the wonderful vacation she and Dad had just taken to the lake. She enjoyed the peace and calm while sitting on the back deck there. Although I knew she hadn’t left the house, I found comfort knowing she experienced happy times in her mind.

 If she were here, I’d love to share the news that our oldest grandson is studying nuclear engineering and tell her all about our two grandchildren she never met. Our teenage granddaughter wishes to be an actress and our youngest grandson dreams of playing football. Mom would love to hear about our grandchildren and get updates about our adult children too.

 She wouldn’t expect me to be writing romance novels, but I think she’d remember how much I loved to read. If I could, I would share my storylines with her, and ask if I could model a character after her. She’d say no, but it would please her to learn that my books honor the Lord, which is what she did.

 I remember a time when my husband and I stayed with my parents for a few days. My mom and dad sat at their kitchen table one morning praying for their children and grandchildren and didn’t know I was in the next room. It deeply touched me when they prayed for our former foster daughter who had been a part of our family years before. What a beautiful commitment of prayer in honor of the Lord.

 Being a mother and grandmother myself, I hope my children and their families see Jesus in me and know that I love Him and them. I pray they will deepen their relationship with the Lord and serve Him faithfully.

 I’d like to be a gift to them as my mom was to me. And the greatest Mother’s Day gift each of them can give me in return is their surrendered life to Christ.

 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children
are walking in the truth.
3 John 1:4 (NIV)

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Photo by Sooz - Unsplash

Faith Walk

This week we made our fourth offer on a house. We are waiting to hear if they accepted our offer. Meanwhile, we continue our faith walk and trust that God is working behind the scenes. While we wait, we continue to enjoy our daughter’s family and their hospitality. They’ve been a blessing to us.

Last week, because of the ice and snow, we couldn’t make it out of the subdivision. Groceries ran low, but we managed. Thankful we didn’t lose power. But this week, our temperatures rose into the sixties and seventies with plenty of sunshine. We met our son and his family at a state park and walked a two-mile trail together. Elbow bumps replaced hugs, but we enjoyed catching up and spending time with the grandkids.

Our seven-year-old grandson is a fan of the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks. He told me that his favorite thing to do is play flag football or toss a football back and forth with his dad.

Our ten-year-old granddaughter laughed, as she told me a joke she’d heard from her dad and the story that went along with it. An unfunny joke that I told an Algebra class 30 years ago. I’ll share the story as best as I remember it.

The class clown—I’ll call him Jeff because I don’t remember his name—wasn’t in class, and a student asked me to tell a joke. After I tried to convince the class that I didn’t know any, I shared the unfunny joke with as much dramatic flair as I could muster.

There were two penguins named Earl and Pearl standing on an
iceberg. Earl liked to show off for Pearl, so he kept performing
daring dives into the water. After one plunge, he stayed underwater
for longer than normal. Pearl became worried. She looked to her
right and to her left, crying out, “Earl. Earl. Earl, where are you?”
Earl burst forth from the water and said, “Radio!”

There were a few chuckles from students thinking their teacher was crazy. Others just stared—bewildered. Several shook their heads and said, “I don’t get it.”

I told them that was what made the joke funny. When you tell it, someone should be in on the joke. They laugh while others scratch their heads in confusion.

I don’t remember who came up with the idea, but they convinced me to tell the joke the next day when Jeff returned. It played out as we expected. Most of the class laughed when I retold it. Jeff just shook his head and stared at everyone as if we’d gone mad.

My granddaughter loved the story. Her laughter brought joy to my heart. I hope Jeff remembers the joke with fondness and wasn’t traumatized by our prank. If I could remember his name, I’d look for him on social media and apologize.

These special moments with our family make waiting for a home sweeter. God has a plan for us, and we know He’s working even though we can’t see it. We’re on a faith walk.  

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen. 
Hebrews 11:1, NKJV

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Photo by Derek Oyen - Unsplash