Just some early morning thoughts from me to you…

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
I Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”                  
Exodus 20:12 (N(V)

I had the honor of performing my Mom’s Memorial Service a number of years ago. Lynda wondered if I would be able to.

I didn’t know my Mom that well. She was taken from me when I was only seven.

It was a surprise when we learned she was alive, when she found me fourteen years later. Her life would require my oversight of her care until she stepped into Heaven.

And I never knew her that well.

But I cried as I began to speak at her service.

Tears of what might have been, I suppose.

Tears for the difficult journey of her life. 

Tears of what was, even though more would have been better, and better would have been still better.

Tears of all those years I remember trying to be somebody.

And God, unbeknownst to me but always at work for our good, lined up other “Moms” to stand in the gap through the years, to cover the fears, and help soothe and lift me above the cares.

Grandma Regula and Grandma Redeker. Mrs. Sullivan and Mrs. Gault. Looking back, clearly, all gifts from God.

And then, Lynda’s Mom. My Mother-in-law, of all things. “Mother Johnson” to the rest of the family. 

And slowly, I let her in, to be “Mother” to me.

One of the greatest Mothers of the great. 

She made it clear that I was hers. That I was somebody she loved more than herself.

They all gave me a sense of how many of you must feel on this special day set aside to honor our Mothers. 

It’s a great day to do this for them. To honor them. 

From the beginning, on.

And Lynda’s amazing Mom—Mother—made sure that the love from all of those there for me through the years, continued to cover me. 

Never ebbed. Always flowed. Never stopped. Always there.

And we were singing hymns with “Mother” as she stepped into the arms of God. 

Chris Janson sings the beautiful song “Bye Mom.” One of the lines of the song is a powerful reminder of the love of a Mother, when he shares this about a Mother—

“And you don’t know you’re somebody
That somebody loves more than themselves.”

Looking back, looking closely, and honoring all those “Moms” in our lives, with grace shared as needed, for all they were able to do, we can all see the truth of that line in the song, no matter what we went through.

Mothers love us more than themselves.

It was an honor to perform my Mom’s Memorial Service.

I cried. 

Mother’s Day—reflecting and remembering the impact of their lives on ours. The impact of a love second only to the love of Christ for you and for me. 

Mothers for every moment and need—special, sacred gifts only God could create and provide.

I get it now. Thank God.

And thank you, God.

In His Name–Scott

Watch, listen and shed a tear to Chris Janson singing “Bye Mom.”