Let all that I am praise the Lord;
With my whole heart, I will praise His holy name.
Let all that I am praise the Lord;
May I never forget the good things He does for me.
He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.
He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
He fills my life with good things.
My youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:1-5 NLT
The infamous second Sunday in the month of May is upon us. Flowers, cards, jewelry, and trinkets of all kinds fill the aisles of every store in America this week. Reminders are everywhere that Mother’s Day is tomorrow. I chuckle as this year is quite different for me since my mom fell and shattered her elbow 7 weeks ago. She has been at the top of the priority list for weeks now, and I feel like I have already been celebrating this special holiday of honor with her on a regular basis!
My pre-holiday celebration is simply what one does when the heart is full of love. My best friend from childhood is presently in Florida caring for her parents who have both recently become ill. My mother-in-law is in New York filling the much needed role of mother and grandma as a new baby brother is patiently waiting to be delivered. My own daughter, her husband and baby are going to spend Mother’s Day with the family of a fellow Marine who was killed in Afghanistan 5 years ago. Various forms of love … various forms of celebration … very forms of honor.
Mom, Mammy and Uncle Marvin apx 1947
I would like to honor those in my life that have brought me to the place where I am today. My mom’s mother, whom we affectionately called Mammy, was always a sweet and dear woman. Mammy spent time with me in the kitchen baking wacky cakes, apple pies with homemade crusts, and making homemade ice cream. She listened to hours and hours of my playing her little electric table top organ ~ no doubt praying the whole time that my apparent love for music would be used to glorify God someday. Mammy sewed clothes for me … and for my Barbie. I could go on and on about her … a real treasure to my own heart and to the legacy of who I am today. Mammy went home to be with Jesus in January of 1992.
I have been reminded of your sincere faith,
which first lived in your grandmother
Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded,
now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you
to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in youthrough the laying on of my hands. For God did not
give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power,
of love and of self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:5 -7
Mammaw & Pappaw Wells and family Apx 1957
My Mammaw Wells was a woman of tenacity, courage, and grit. She had to be. She raised 3 of Pappaw’s youngsters by his first wife, and birthed 14 of her own, of which 2 died as children. My Daddy is the only adult who has passed away. He’s the handsome one in the upper left corner. Mammaw set a wonderful example of hospitality for me … always ready to throw some food on the stove to cook and would produce a feast for many to enjoy around her kitchen table. With grandchildren nearly too many to count running through the front door, she would swat at a few behinds to coax them to quickly get in or out. It was always an adventure in Martinsville … not only to see Mammaw, but hoping for the spontaneous visit by another family full of cousins and fun. My Mammaw passed away in January of 2003.
Mom with Jay & I 1960
Mother’s Day was celebrated for their first time by a sweet couple in love when my brother Jay was born in 1957… Mom and Daddy had been married for 15 months. I added one more jewel in her crown of motherhood in 1960, followed by a diamond in the rough when my little brother Tim came along 6 years later. Grandchildren and now great grandchildren have embedded her tiara with sparkles, as she wears it gracefully. Words truly cannot express the depth of love and appreciation for my mother, but I can say that it is her faithful and consistent walk with Jesus that has set an example and a pattern for my brothers and I through the years. We grew up knowing that Jesus loves us and that He desires a relationship with us. Thank you, Mom, for being true and real ~ even in the hard and difficult times. I love you!
Join with others in following my example, brothers,
and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.
For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears,
many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction,
their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame.
Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven.
And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control,
will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for,
my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!
Philippians 3:17 – 4:1.
Mom, my brothers & I 2008
My mother-in-law & I
Unlike many women, I have been blessed by my mother-in-law. Having had a full and demanding life throughout the years of raising her own family, she is rich in wisdom, advise, and has learned to pray, love, and laugh in the midst of it all ~ good and bad. She is the woman who loved and nurtured a little boy who later became the one I have loved for almost 30 years now. Thank you, mom, for embracing me as one of your daughters, for your love, and also for your walk with Jesus.
One Mother’s Day many years ago, my Daddy proudly expressed his hand-picked sentiments to my mom with the help of Hallmark. As she opened the card and read the front, she tried to hide the giggle that kept pushing its way through her attempt at being serious. In Daddy’s best effort at finding just the right card, he accidently picked up a greeting that looked like one he had just read but had put back on the rack … but this one wasn’t the same. This one read “To Someone Who Has Been Like a Mother to Me.” Daddy just couldn’t figure out how he goofed so bad, but it gave us a big laugh for years to come! I’m sure you’re like me … we have those special women in our lives who are not blood related, but they hold a very precious place in our hearts. They have ‘Been Like a Mother’ to us. Since I have lived in several places throughout my life and home has been far away from my own mother, I have had several such women. Joan, Evelyn, Viola, Jeanie, Pat, and Louise. I’m so grateful for these Godly women, their prayers, and their love for me.
Kim, Ryan & I 1989
A tiny girl named Kimberly and a little guy by the name of Ryan set my heart into a tailspin of love … and my perspective on life AND of this special holiday was changed forever. Dimples and lace, baseball and volleyball, braces and glasses, love and more love … Years of Mother’s Day celebration took place and now they are both all grown up. There is no greater honor or privilege than to continually stay on my knees in prayer, seeking God’s divine intervention and will for my children.
I have no greater joy
than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
3 John 1:4
Ryan, Kim, Troy, Cole & Tadpole 2009
Grami’s love is the newest form of Mother’s Day celebration … Cole Michael. Words are simply not enough.
There are various forms of love …
various forms of celebration …
various forms of honor taking place this weekend. Please feel free to leave a comment or two regarding someone special that you wish to honor and celebrate this Mother’s Day.
Until next time,
Debbie
Morsels of Mercy 
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