‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the Lord your God is giving you.’ Deuteronomy 5:16
I was brought up in a loving, Christian family, and I was always close to my mother. I remember when I was a little girl, my mother would sit on the edge of my bed every night while I said my prayer. At the end of the prayer, she would say, “God, bless Vickie too.” You know that feeling that you get when everything seems perfect and nothing can go wrong because your mother is right there beside you? That feeling when you are all bundled up in a nice, warm blanket on a cold night? That is how I felt. I knew how much I loved my Mother and how much she loved me.
Starting kindergarten was a little scary; after all, I would be away from my mother for a while. Oh, everything was fine but to a 5-year-old, a big classroom with strangers didn’t seem possible. Little did I know that my kindergarten class would be fun. I made lots of new friends, and in the end, I formed some lifetime relationships. In Sunday school, at an early age, I learned the Bible verse for the Golden Rule, “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you…” (Matt. 7:12). I am thankful for the precious friendships that surfaced, building a lasting foundation that has withheld over the years.
It was when I was a teenager that I began to see a different side to my mother. I saw the numerous times that she went out of her way to make my siblings and myself happy. She was always putting our feelings in front of her own, and I soon realized the many sacrifices she made for our family. I saw how hard she worked to keep our family running smoothly. I learned about love, commitment, respect, compassion and how God was present, and He was with me every minute of every day.
It was in my mother’s later years that she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and the cancer spread rapidly throughout her body. She was bedridden for a time, and now, our roles were reversed; it was my turn to take care of my mother. She had given me the most precious gift of all, her TIME. I was holding her hand when she took her last breath. A feeling of calmness came over the room, and I knew that my mother was no longer in pain. She was in Heaven; she was HOME with her Heavenly Father. You know that feeling that you get when everything seems perfect and nothing can go wrong because your Mother is right there beside you? That feeling when you are all bundled up in a nice, warm blanket on a cold night? That is how I felt. I knew how much I loved my mother and how much she loved me. I had those same feeling that I had when I was little.
It’s been 18 years since my mother passed away. My mind is filled with fond memories of her. Sometimes, when I least expect it, I hear a certain song on the radio or a certain word is spoken. I see my mother in my granddaughters’ actions or their sweet kindness that was passed on. Sometimes, I see the beautiful sunset with its majestic wonders, or I see a twinkling star in the night sky. Each time reminds me of God’s Presence and the assurance that I have God in my life and He lives within my heart and that one day, I will see my Mother again. “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you” (Phil. 1:3).
