My Inspirational Mother

My 3 sisters and I had the most amazing mother. She lived a rich amazing life though God called her to her heavenly home 20 years ago at the age of 61. It is important to me that I share some things about her with you because mom was the most inspirational woman in my life.

A pastor's wife and mother of four, my mother Roberta, loved life with joyful passion. She always seemed to be smiling. When she was in her early thirties our young family moved to a new home. As she packed up old volumes of books she inhaled mold and became very ill. The doctor didn't know what had happened to this young woman and diagnosed her with walking pneumonia. Within a short time the lung damage was irreversible, and mom, for the rest of her life, would deal with serious debilitating and progressive health issues affecting her lungs and eventually her heart. As her condition deteriorated she could be less and less active in her role as mother to 4 young daughters between the ages of 4 and 10. Soon mom was in and out of the hospital frequently and, once she returned home, would be confined to the bed for weeks at a time. Family members stepped in to help with the needs of the daughters and Dad, who worked doubly hard now as he continued to pastor the church God had called him to while devoting time to his wife and children. Our dear Aunt Ethel often lived with us and kept our home running efficiently with her tender loving care.

Many times mom would be hospitalized in critical condition and we would hear the phone ringing in the middle of the night to summon our father to her bedside in what may be her last hours. I remember watching him from my bedroom window one night as he dug out the car after a huge Michigan snowfall to head to the hospital 30 miles away. Miraculously mother would recover and be restored to us until the next bout of infection would hit again.

Through these years, my parents learned to study and believe the promises in the Bible like never before. Their faith grew and they clung to God as He lead them through the dark valley. Now, years later, looking back I realize that mom must have suffered far greater in seeing others stepping in to raise her precious daughters then she ever suffered physically. She must have had to learn that difficult lesson most parents don't really begin to grasp until their children reach adulthood...the lesson: to prayerfully release their children to God for they are His anyway. To believe with all their hearts that He will hold those dear children, their hopes, dreams and futures in His loving hands. I imagine her hanging onto God's promises about children, such as Isaiah 54:13, "All your children shall be taught by the Lord and great shall be the peace of your children". Promises like this one might have helped strengthen her faith for our futures. I can tell you that she was a woman who grew ever more beautiful as time passed and more joyful in countenance. Thankfully she would eventually have months at a time of fairly good health and her gratefulness for the "everyday" was a wonderful thing to observe.

When she passed away the four sisters bond grew stronger than ever. We had all reached adulthood by then and she had been able to hold every one of her grandchildren in her arms. You could see on her face the gratitude that God allowed her the gift of time to enjoy seeing and praying over her young grandchildren before He called her home. After mother's passing, the sisters learned to turn to each other with parenting questions that required a female perspective as well as requests for prayer. We became tightly bound in spirit. Maybe in a sense we became mother figures as well as sisters to one another. At least once a year the sisters get together for a sister reunion. It is something we look forward to with great anticipation.

I want to express my gratitude to my mother, father and dear sisters for all the amazing lessons they have taught me through the years. When I was diagnosed with RA I identified with my mother in a whole new light. Having observed the way my parents faced her illness, the way my mother clung to the hand of the Lord, were among the memories that aided me in facing my own physical battle with far less uncertainty. What an example I have had in my mother and for that I will be forever and eternally grateful. Love you Mom!