My mother will turn 98 in May. She lives in a wonderful and loving memory-care home, and my close-by sister visits multiple times weekly. The rest of the siblings travel west as often as we can to see her; I was there four times in the last year.
Her influence on our lives has been monumental. And, although she doesn’t recognize it, she is still shining God’s light on the residents and workers in the home where she lives.
Moms come in all shapes and sizes, personalities and attitudes. The one who mothers you may or may not be the one who gave birth to you, but she is your mother none-the-less.
Being a mom is hard, at every stage. It is also a blessing, so I share this poem as a blessing for all the moms out there who have blessed us.
Mom—Through my Ages and Stages
A leg or skirt
To hide behind or hold on to.
A chaser of scary noises and reflections
Who sat on my bed when the bushes rattled on the window
and the moon made faces appear on the rug patterned with squares on my
bedroom floor.
An imagination encourager
Who put a saddle and bridle on my avocado-tree-limb pony.
Who continually filled the tank of my play sink so I would have running water.
An artist who encouraged us to join in
Who drew a mural of the three wise man on oiled paper which we colored to
display, lit from behind, in our snowy New Mexico front yard.
An understanding authority who appreciated honesty
When I privately confessed to snitching the lifesavers we were supposed to save
for Sunday service.
A musician
Who taught me how to spell Albuquerque.
Who taught me how to listen and blend and not to stop until we got it right.
Who filled our lives with music.
A baker
Of exquisite apple pies.
An adult who displayed wisdom laced with humor
When I told you I was going to ditch school to swim at Shirley’s, but not that I was doing it the next day, and you and Dad called and pretended to be the guidance office and made me come home with the car “right now.” Then you laughed at me and brought me back to Shirley’s. You even wrote a note that said I missed school with your knowledge, but not exactly your permission. I was excused. All my friends got detention.
Who put her life on hold with a moment’s notice when we needed her
When our babies were born.
With kids’ hospital stays.
With one in the hospital and two with chicken pox.
With my surgeries.
When I was really lonely and needed a mommy fix.
Who’s always ready to listen
And cry.
And laugh.
And exclaim.
And be silly.
And give advice.
Thanks for so many things.
For insisting I go to Calvin when I got cold feet at the last minute.
For telling me family stories—I can never hear them enough.
For encouraging me to always look for the sparkles.
For always loving me, my husband, my children,
Loving me.
Loving me.
“Kathie Sue, I love you.”
Mom, I love you right back. Kathie
Turn to me and have mercy on me; show your strength in behalf of your servant; save me, because I serve you just as my mother did. Psalm 86:16
But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. Psalm 131:2
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13
Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Proverbs 1:8
“Bye, Mom. It’s only there for a life time, then it’s gone…”
For those of us in God’s Circle of Love, our earthly lifetime isn’t the end, because God promises us eternity with him. If your mom is a believer, her love is a reflection of God’s love. And because of God’s love, there’s an eternity after our life on this world is done.
Kathleen S Evenhouse 