Did You Call Your Mama?

Did you have a nice Mother's Day? I can't complain about mine. My daughter made me several cards and even made a cute banner out of tissue paper and being the typical only daughter with two brothers, she signed their names to them. #2 made me a beautiful ceramic heart that says "I Love U" and he also made me a corsage out of a cupcake holder and tissue paper with Exodus 20:12 on it (He wrote 'Honor Your Mom and Dad") Ate at Jaybirds for lunch with the in-laws (Tommy Cash and Jimmy Fortune, formerly of the Statler Brothers also thought that was THE place to eat today)....it is a nice day to show our moms we appreciate them, to take them to eat, get them that hanging basket, etc. I was reminded today of how it ain't such a fun day for everybody.

At the end of the service at church today, the speaker (my pastor volunteered to spend Mother's Day Sunday keeping 2 year olds in the nursery. Leonard is quite a guy) offered the invitation (as we Baptist's do) and also invited those who wanted to come to the altar to pray to do so.

A lady that I do not know, went forward, knelt and with her head bowed, began to sob. This went on for the entire invitation time, which was about 5-7 minutes (I've never noticed time during the invitation, coulda been longer). I was seated down towards the front and could not help but wonder what it was she was crying about: Maybe she was praying for a wayward child, maybe her mother is gone and she misses her desperately; I don't know but my heart went out to her.

Another lady, a lovely mother in her early to mid 30's also went forward to pray. She has shared in a testimony before that she and her mother are estranged. The tears were flowing for her, just as they were the other lady. I know what she was praying for. I will be praying for that reconciliation, too.

My friend Craig sat in front of me, with his lovely wife. I know that today he had to have been missing the mother of his children, who passed away about 5 years ago, way too young from cancer.

A few rows over, sat another young woman who longs to experience motherhood and has tried every modern medical technology, but, still has an empty bedroom at her house, waiting to be full of a little one.

I couldn't help but think of our friend, Busy Mom, too.

My mother in law, I know, today thought of her mother, who at 92 is still living, but, due to advanced age, her mind and memory have faded and she is not able to immediately recognize her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and lives in a nursing home about 400 miles away.

I was fortunate enough to be able to get in my car, with my Trio, and drive to see my mother. She liked her hanging basket and seemed to enjoy visiting with me and the kids. I know she was missing her mother today. Even though she passed away in 1972, the way she says "Oh....there's Mama" when she sees a photograph of her, it's obvious to me that yes, 34 years later, there are times the loss is as alive as if it had been last week that she died.

I hope my mom will be around a long, long time.