Most of what I know about my mom comes from stories people have told me, as my actual memories of my mother are few. I remember she used to play "school" with me. She would even pack me a lunch in my lunchbox as if I were really leaving the house for school. I remember trips to Jelicho, TN to visit my grandparents. I remember going to Camp Dearborn with our family in the summer. I remember driving to Florida for family vacations. I remember my mom taking care of me when my cousin Jason pushed me off our back porch and knocked out some of my teeth. I do not know if these are memories of the actual moments, or me just remembering from pictures I have seen or stories I was told.
For some reason I do remember the day my dad told me and my sister Kim that my mom had died. I remember we had been staying with our sister Peggy at her little brick house in Wyandotte, and we were in the backyard when my dad come back from the hospital to tell us the news. Why I remember that some thirty-two years later I do not know. I do not remember what my mom's voice sounded like, what her cooking tasted like, or anything about her being sick.
I know my mother was one of seven children in her family. She has four sisters and two brothers. I know my mom did not have a middle name. I'm pretty sure she liked to bowl. I know she liked younger men, because she was ten years older than my dad.(Way to go dad!) I know she attended Gilead Baptist Church, and was very involved. I know she loved the Lord, and prayed for her unsaved family and friends.
I know my mom loved my dad. I know my mom loved her kids (my brother - Mike, my two sisters - Peggy & Kim, and me) I know that my mom worried who would help take care of her two babies (me and Kim) when she was gone. I know my mom knew the importance of me and my sister attending a christian school, and I thank my dad for knowing the importance also.
It's funny, because I usually have different feelings every year on Mother's Day. I remember a few years back going to my mom's grave with Amy and just breaking down because I missed her. I wanted her to know Amy and her grandson. I used to question why God would allow a four year old boy to lose his mother, but like a lot of things in life it's all about perspective. God's grace has been more than sufficient. He has taught me so much through the loss of my mother, and His blessings have been to many to count. He left me in the care of a loving father, who continues to amaze me by his selflesness and love for his family. He has given me wonderful relationships with my brother, and sisters. Best of all, He brought a beautiful woman into my life to be my best friend, my wife, and the loving mother of our son, Grant.(Soon to be sons, no we dont have a name yet!)
Happy Mother's Day, Mom. Thank you mom for loving me. Thank you for starting to instill the truth of God's Word in me at an early age. Thank you for caring about me, and worrying if I was going to be okay until the day you died. I love you, I miss you, but I look forward to seeing you again. We have a lot of catching up to do.
