INSPIRASUNS

I’ve been thinking about her a lot lately. I think I’ve shared a little about the small in stature but large as a grizzly bear when it came to her family lady who was my mom. She had a voice that was so low she was mistaken for a man on the phone many times, especially because her first name was Lee. Well, that was a nickname, short for something else. I won’t dare share her given name for fear of retribution even from heaven above.

You see, today is the anniversary of her leaving this world to be with Jesus. Twenty-six years ago we said goodbye to her, but I do still remember that day like it was yesterday. And…this morning when I woke up just after 1:00am I realized why… that was right about the time she took her last breath. I replayed those last few hours of her life and actually was at peace knowing we were together as a family.

My mom was a simple woman. She grew up in Texas and as I’ve shared before, she was one of six kids. As I recall growing up, she didn’t have a ton of close friends, but the ones she had were like family to us, some still are today. Mom was always respectful, especially in business. She would refer to clients, or her supervisors as Mr. or Mrs. even when she’d share a story at home with her kids. She instilled that in us, along with her work ethic.

We didn’t have much growing up and mom always did her best to try and take small vacations where we could. We had family in TN so we’d pack up the car and drive there to stay. Or, we’d be happy just driving 30 minutes away to sit at one of the local lakes with our lawn chairs and fishing poles. Those were some of the best memories of my childhood. Guess I know now where I get my love of fishing 🙂 .

As I said, she instilled a work ethic in my brothers and me. She walked her talk and she was a fierce protector of her kids. She loved us dearly and was always supportive. Mom would be at wrestling matches, football, and basketball games. There are some fun stories to tell there too, but those are for another blog. She was there when we made our mistakes, and I recall how bad I would feel when I knew I had let her down. Though she never said the words much, the love that she had for us was unmistakable.

When her grandkids came along that fierce wall of protection grew, as did her love. The memories our kids have of Mamaw will last them a lifetime. Even though they were young when she passed away, she made special times with them. To this day my kids will watch The Golden Girl marathons, just because my mom got her hooked on them 🙂 .

Today I’ll think about her and smile, and look forward to the day when I see her again. I hope when I do, she’s proud of who I’ve become.

Friends, if you still have your parents, give them a call today just to say you love them. If you’re near them, stop by and give them a hug. They won’t be here forever and every day with them is a blessing from Father.

Have a great day my friends 🙂

Exodus 20:12
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.