Thank you, Mother

 

A lot can be said about my mother.  She was eccentric, stubborn, persistent, loved sweets, never met a stranger, but most of all she had a heart of gold. 

I’ve never known her to hold a grudge. I don’t know if she honestly forgave them or if she just forgot, but she always saw the good in people. 

Most people think of her as very dependent on my grandmother and me, but I remember her as a divorced, single mom who managed to raise two children on a secretary’s pay and a little help from family.

She would do anything to help someone in need, sometimes against better judgment.

It is hard to think of my mom without a smile.  She was so cheerful, a little goofy and always entertaining.    She always made my friends feel at home even though she often embarrassed me.  It wasn’t until I was grown that I began to understand her and appreciate her for who she was.  She was just Betty. 

I will remember all the outrageous things about her—how she wore her hair on the top of her head, how she lived on Cheerios, how she “read”the cards, and how she loved her snacks.  She could be a little obsessive if she wanted you to hear a song or read a story.    

She and my grandmother were inseparable and I don’t think Mother was ever the same after my grandmother died.  Most of my fondest memories include both of them. Like the time Mother hit a cow on the way back from the beach and Mama thought lightning had struck us.   The time we were taking Matts car to get new tires and Mother aired up the bad one so much it blew out and the valve stem nearly hit Mama.  Or the time they stopped at a yard sale that ended up being a birthday party.  Now they can continue their antics in Heaven. 

I will remember many things about my mother but the greatest legacy she will leave is her faith in Jesus Christ.  Hers was a faith like a child.  She never questioned, she just believed.  When she had to live in assisted living she never complained, she just said “pray for me.”  When I would leave after a visit her last words were always “pray for me.”   I would sometimes become agitated and say “Mother, I always pray for you.”  I thought she was being selfish and only thinking of herself.  What I now realize is that in her childlike way she was saying “not my will but Thine be done, Lord.”  She couldn’t change her circumstances but through her prayers and the prayers of others she could make it through her pain. 

I miss my mother, but I thank the Lord for the model of faith she gave me.