It's Mother's Day...

For some... Mother's day is a day of great rejoicing and family gatherings, for others it is a day of sadness and loneliness. Mother's Day has been a difficult day for me for the past nine years, I'm not a mom and my Mom is not here to celebrate with.
There are many lessons I have learned during my time here in Niger, I'll share more later, but one is the lesson about family. In West Africa, family is important. They live together, (often in the same house), cook together, share together and survive together. They talk and laugh together. Life is precious because in a moment it can be gone.
I am so thankful for the godly example I had to follow from my Mom. She loved to laugh and I loved to hear that laugh. She was kind and caring and generous, always wanting to help those in need. She always wanted to be a teacher, so I when I went home for a weekend visit, I would take some Spelling tests for her to grade. She so enjoyed that.
Thoughts of her homemade bread still make my mouth water and her chocolate chip cookies were delicious. I think my sister inherited Mom's baking skills. Our attempts to recreate her stuffing are getting close, so my Dad says.
As I reflect on Mother's day this year, I am so thankful for the wonderful memories I have of my mother. This time apart is just an interruption in our relationship, we'll have eternity to spend together. To those of us left behind it's been nine years and counting, but to her it has been but a moment.
So hug your Mom close toady if you can, I'm asking Jesus to pass on a hug to mine.

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