May 11, 2007

With Mother’s Day being celebrated this Sunday, May 13, it gives me an opportunity to reflect on the impact my Mom has had on my life. My mother lives in Louisiana and recently celebrated her 83rd birthday. During her time she has experienced about as much as life can throw at one person but with God’s help she has persevered. The black and white photo is of mom and dad taken in the summer of 1953. Near Christmas of that same year he came down with flu like symptoms, which eventually turned into pneumonia, which eventually led to congestive heart failure, which led to him dying suddenly at age 31 on January 2, 1954.

Talk about turning our world upside down! There she was with six children (I was 7 at the time) ages ranging from eleven down to 18 months and she had never even written a check because dad took care of what little finances we had. We were forced to leave Port Arthur, Texas and relocate to a small rural community in Louisiana where we took up residence with her parents. Somehow she picked up the pieces, went to work, and slowly but surely recovered from this devastating experience. The color photo is my mom and I taken last year when I was there to spend the day with her.

Life has been the worst and best of times for my mom but she has remained faithful to God and to all her children. Since dad left us in 54’she has buried a second husband (1967), her parents, two brothers, two sisters, a son-in-law, and our older brother, (19), and baby sister, (27). In the midst of these continuing traumatic events, I well remember the advice given by a fellow in the small town where we lived. One day he blurted out: “You folks had better straighten up soon or all of you are going to be dead”. So much for comforting words during our time of grief. In spite of all this, today she has a wonderful husband, our step-dad, and they have been married for over twenty-five years. There’s still four of us kids left and we have produced many offspring including three girls from our baby sister who died from Leukemia, and many of these grands have produced many great grands with one or two now providing great great grands as they have begun to build their families. (I have ten grandchildren myself!)

Wow! What a woman! She’s living proof that with God anything is possible. Her and dad have been retired now for twenty years and have a most wonderful life. They love bird watching from their back porch and can go and do just about any and all things they feel up to doing. Yes, they do have some wear and tear and they do spend a fair amount of their time to and from the medical facilities but all in all, God has been good! And, we are the most blessed of all children to have such a champion of faithfulness and love as our MOM! Happy Mother’s Day and may God continue to bless you each and every day!