Mother

Photo of me, David and Susan in 1978

My Mother's Day Memories



… May 1958, a Minnesota church basement “mother-daughter tea” adorned in hat, gloves and a home-made Chanel suit reciting a mother- honoring poem. God is good.

…May 1973, smelling the sweet innocence of my red-headed first-born and of his daddy’s honorary red roses. God is good.

…May 1978, caressing in awe my beautiful “rosebud” infant daughter, believing that life could never be better than loving my children God is good.

…May 2000, grieving a mother lost at 88 two months earlier and my life-long husband of 57 ten months prior, I felt understandably fragile. Driving to church in my husband’s car I experienced an epiphany that I would thank God for it and begin calling it “my” car. Some peace began to grow in my heart as I recall crossing the bridge on First Avenue where the surrender occurred.

On the way home, growing more comfortable in my break-through, my car was hit by a drunk driver where we were the only 2 cars on the quiet road in front of the university. I sat pitifully on the curb with police and tow truck tearfully reviewing my bruises and never saw the car again.

After 2 days in the ugliest purple rental car ever made, I received courage to go to the Toyota dealer and ask them if they intended to repair the Avalon as good as new and they assured me they would. With a sudden burst of courage I told them that was good because they could keep it and give me the Rav 4 demo on their lot in exchange. I have driven this car for 9 years now and it has met my economy and lifestyle needs more perfectly than the older inherited Avalon ever would. A lesson of surrender where I was given exactly what I would need hours after the epiphany. God is good.

Oh, a footnote……later that evening when my son called to ask me how my Mother’s Day had gone I replied “SMASHING, SIMPLY SMASHING”!


...May 2004, an ICU life/death crisis while I was on a ventilator with chemotherapy side effects (which also occurred in 2007 and 2009) while my children and their new church prayed for my recovery. Again. God is good.


…May 2009, God has granted me the love of 4 grandchildren and I discovered that life could actually be even better than I could have imagined in 1978 . Love can peak, but then the real epitome is the overflow of that love. I love my children and their mates even more as they parent. Who could have known this joy?
God is good.