The Pastor's Porch
July 23, 2020
I am thinking about the loss of my mom today. No, I am not down and depressed. However, today is the anniversary of my mother's death from cancer in 1983. She was an amazing lady, and the pandemic has made me appreciate her strength and determination a lot. Mom grew up during the Great Depression. Her family managed as best they could in the rural eastern part of North Carolina. However, when she was 18, full of plans to go to college and enjoy a "full ride" scholarship in piano performance, her dad passed away unexpectedly. Mom's older sister had already married and had no means to provide for their mom and siblings. My mom's life had to pivot to meet the new unexpected circumstances. She completed her teaching program--it was two years back then--and proceeded to provide for her family. What an incredible sacrifice! She married my dad in her early 30's. He was a career Army officer, and she looked forward to eventually seeing some of the world as his wife. However, all that was put on hold when she became pregnant on their honeymoon, and then he was shipped overseas to Korea. Once again, mom had to pivot. She took care of her mom while teaching in North Carolina, and then became what was unusual at the time: a single mom of an infant. Dad didn't meet my sister until she was almost a year old. Now that my parents were together, she learned to her surprise and dismay that he was far from an ideal husband (I'll leave it at that). Did I say already that she was a strong lady? She dealt with him with her usual resilience. She did get to live out her dream of traveling as she lived in Tokyo where my brother was born and lived in Germany where I was born, all the time teaching and making sure we were taken care of. After she had a bad scare with my dad, she made the decision to leave him to keep herself and us safe. What an extraordinary pivot that was! We settled back in North Carolina, and my dad committed suicide around 6 months later. Over the next 10 years, mom earned 2 Master's Degrees to increase her income, bought us a house, taught school everyday, and managed to make sure we were all loved, fed, clothed and as happy as possible. I think today that she is the one who taught me the pivoting that is necessary during this unprecedented time. I thank her and God for that. Oh and thank you for letting me share on this significant day. May you be blessed by remembering those in your life that have made a difference for you.
Lord Jesus, thank You for those in my life that have helped shape me into who I am. Sometimes the lessons were positive; sometimes the lessons were painful. However, I know that You never waste anything in our lives. Please show me how I can make a difference in another's life. In Your name I pray, amen.
Psalm 77:5--
I consider the days of old, and remember the years of long ago.
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