It's Mom's day

"Happy Mother's Day," I said to the gentleman working at the fast food restaurant. Then I added, "Is she still alive?" That's part of my thinking now, having lost Dad--sensitivity to the possible losses of others. I'm so glad to have enjoyed another day with Mom. To plant flowers and ferns for her. To try fixing her car door lock. To squirm with her in watching the finale of one of our many shows we look forward to watching together, "Survivor." To share with her how good it was to find healing in a relationship and hear her say that she so enjoyed hearing me laugh on the phone with that friend again.

A gal at church, in greeting me with "Happy Mother's Day," added that I was being such a good son to my mother. I guess those kind words didn't have too deep of meaning because "how difficult is that with a Mom like mine?" I reflected on the strained relationship I recall her having had with her mother. Who wouldn't want a sweet mother like mine...and know the curiosity of the phrase "being a good son" as if that were hard.

This morning was the first Sunday for me to help out in a 1st-5th grade class. (They'd asked for more volunteers so that they could start up this class again.) A fun time. At the end, with kids gone, the adults were chatting about what worked and didn't work. For some reason, one asked if I played the piano. Yes. And what did I think about leading the kids in music some future Sunday. Instantly I was talking excitedly about what Mom had done for so many years--well before I became her fourth child and on through my 6th grade--how Mom made bid posters with the words written out and she'd play piano and kids would excitedly want to be selected to stand in front of the crowd of kids to hold the posters and all would sing. And Mom had her cool ways of helping kids memorize scripture, such as writing out the verse and they'd read it, then a kid could come erase a word and write an underline, and they'd repeat until there were just lines and everyone was saying the verse together. And they'd get a pack of gum next week if they could repeat the verse from memory. She kept kids engaged through lessons she came up with. She handled the age range with ease.

Oh how I longed for such to have happened today. What a stark contrast. Kids drawing pictures on paper bags while we're supposed to get them to answer questions about who was out to kill Paul in the book of Acts. A bit of mayhem. No music. Kids not clear about who's in charge in the room with there being four of us...instead of a sharp lady like Mom. As I shared some of what Mom did, the others chimed in how they had liked similar in their experiences, or how they looked forward to such.

Thanks for your example and leadership, Mom! Great job, all those years. How cool it has been for you to hear from adult women now who remember the love you had for them as children in Sunday School, how you cared for them in the years since... Your flock has sure expanded, hasn't it?

I love you, Mom. Thanks for your friendship, your thoughtfulness, your never-ending kindness to me and others.