Today, I thought of Mommy, a.k.a. Ma, Sweet Pea, Sugar Foot, and Miss Dee. Throughout my life, she truly proved to be a treasured gift. Just remembering her large doe eyes and witty personality makes my heart smile and my mind travel through all the ways she showed strength, integrity, and love for God and me. She called me her angel and she was indeed mine; a friend whose presence gave me the comfort and confidence no one will ever understand.
I have many cherished memories of our times on the road to Virginia Beach, a weekend in New York, or a vacation in Florida. Mommy loved to drive. A long drive from one state to another, even alone, after the age of 70 was nothing for her. She adored it! So, as she aged and developed some health challenges, her eyesight was not so great, and she failed the DMV optical test. She was not a happy camper, and insisted they were wrong. Yet, as with anything else, she was only disappointed for a short time, and was soon back to her same cheerful mood. I never knew her to be a brooding person about anything. She was determined to be grateful and happy in life. I’ll never forget this and hope I can emulate her.
Mommy was a nurse by trade and loved helping others. She was very intuitive and a great listener and counselor. I really miss even the simplest things we used to do together as well as our many discussions on various topics.
While Mommy was here, she also loved cookbooks, Coke, shopping for clothes, decorating, floral design, singing, and studying the Bible, among other things. I can still remember some of our little spats over why she could no longer drink sodas because of her health issues. Yet, every now and then, I’d grab a small one for her when we were out and about. God knows I had better, as only He knew the wrath I’d incur if I didn’t. I want to laugh as I think about it. Mommy was feisty, yet funny to the very end!
As a child, she taught me there was, and always will be, God, and that I should honor Him with my life and pray to Him consistently. She showed me the importance of learning about Him and trusting Him. Her loving, forgiving, and patient nature showed me she knew Him. The most repeated phrase I remember coming from her lips was “Don’t worry about it.” Mommy was great at this! She had the most phlegmatic personality I’d ever encountered. She refused to worry about anything, and I loved that about her. Being prone to the opposite behavior, I was obliged to take all of her advice when she transitioned to heaven.
Something else I loved about Mommy; she never pressured me regarding living an authentic Christian life. She didn’t badger or demean me but loved me through my nonsense. She briefly but strongly made clear what God expected of me. She simply prayed and left me in the hands of the Lord. Further, I recall only two sentences my mother spoke, on two separate occasions in my young adult life, during a brief period of waywardness. I felt I had to have my boyfriend who was not living by holy standards, to say the least. As I made my way out for another weekend with the one I thought I could not live without, she said, “You’re going to have to make up your mind who you’re going to serve.” The next time, “Remember you’re taking Jesus with you.” Ugh! That was all that needed to be said to get my conscience stirring, as I knew I was wrong. She continued with her church duties as a deaconess and a traveling choir member that took her all the way to Nigeria. Just as she had prayed God would bless her with a daughter after having her son, she later prayed for my protection and that I’d live a life for the Lord. How I appreciate and thank God for her prayers.
Here’s a photo of Mommy as a baby. Grandma told the story of how she left her on the front porch one day to get some sun for a brief moment, and a man walked up to her, and took her from the porch. Thankfully, Grandma got back just in time to safely snatch Mommy from the thief.
The Bible is very clear on how we are expected to treat our parents. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” (Ephesians 6:2-3) I can only hope that, while she was alive, I honored her in a way that pleased the Lord and made her feel loved.
Ms. Rita's Minute 