A Mother’s Day Testimony: Ode to Mom

by Lori Cunningham

Mom and I.

Happy Mother’s Day to all you wonderful mothers out there!  In the day in and out of daily mothering,sometimes seems like we’ll make it through the day, let alone your children’s childhood.  Hardly a thought is given to “leaving a legacy” for our children.  Yet it’s the simple things we do and show our love that leaves a lasting impression in the hearts and minds of our children.  So “leaving a legacy” is not something we moms do intentionally, but it’s a natural progression as a result of the love, discipline, and care we show our children on a daily basis.

With my children being fairly young, it’s had to foresee the impact I am having with them.  But I can look to my own mother and see how her love for me…and my love for her…has shaped me.  My Mom recently passed away just three months ago, so it is to her I dedicate my Mother’s Day Testimony to.

My Mom

About 4 years ago, my Mom was hospitalized for a minor infection.  One thing led to another and her stay in the hospital extended to 5 weeks, including a life-saving injection to calm her racing heart and a respirator in ICU to keep her going.  I can remember all too clearly the day the doctor informed us that it was Mom’s time with us was extremely limited.  We were devastated.  I could not imagine life without my Mom and was in no way ready to say goodbye.

Much to my surprise, the next day we went to visit her at the hospital she was sitting up, talking, and so happy to see us.  It was truly miraculous.  It was at this time we learned that Mom’s body and mind have an amazing way of coping with serious illness through a temporary state of mind called delirium.  So she knew us but didn’t know our names.  It would take three months for her mind to clear, but God was good and once again she knew us.  Her near death experience had taken a toll on her body and mind, but we were so thankful to still have her in our lives.  I realized that life is a gift and we have no idea how long we or those close to us have to live.  I was so grateful to have her back.

Mom was indeed very strict and she held high standards for my brother and I.  We often didn’t do or have what the other kids had or did in our grade levels.  But we were loved.  Mom’s strict discipline taught us manners, self-discipline, and self-control (except for when eating ice cream, I never mastered self-control there).

As I reflect back on the many memories of Mom, I am reminded of her fun for life, her thriftiness, and her love for her family.

Mom was one of the thriftiest people I know and she loved the thrill of a good deal.  For some unknown reason, paper goods seemed to be a particular delight for her.  I cannot tell you the amount of toilet paper, paper towels, and Kleenex’s she stocked up on.  Growing up, our bathroom cupboards were chock full, she had a full storage rack of them gathering dust in our garage.  It’s no joke; the first thing you would see when you drove into our garage is an entire wall full of a variety of dusty white packages.  Picking one out to use was always difficult – you had to find the softest toilet paper with the least thick pile of dust!

After my Dad died, I remember when it came time to move Mom from our family home to an apartment   We moved her to a 2-bedroom apartment retirement home closer to us.  There certainly was not room for all of that toilet paper.  It was time to donate, undercover of course!)  Mom also had a way of accumulating clothes.  Every closet in her 4-bedroom house had filled with her bargain shopping apparel finds.  It took me months to go over there each week to gather up the clothes she really didn’t need.  Each time I would lay a rather large pile nicely in the garage, proud of my accomplishment to help her minimize, though still leaving her many clothes left.  In fact, knowing we were having a garage sale soon, I begin bringing over some of my own clothes to add to the pile.

Moving her to her new apartment was rough, there was just so much furniture, toilet paper, and clothes and so little space.  Much to my surprise, as I was hanging up her many clothes in her new walk-in closet (one of the reasons we chose this retirement home!) there were far more clothes than I had remembered.  As I began hanging up some of my own discarded shirts, I realized that each time after I finished my cleaning stint at her house and left, she was going back out to the garage, shopping for her clothes and mine and had snuck a good amount back into her closets!  My Mom liked her clothes.

My Mom loved the Lord and ensured that her children grew up knowing Jesus and learning about God by attending church.  I like so many children knew many of the Bible stories.  But it wasn’t until I grew older that I began to understand that these bible “stories”  provided so much insight.  For example, Joseph was nearly killed by his brothers out of jealousy but instead they decided to sell him into slavery.  But what they intended for evil God turned into good.  Through Joseph thousands of people were saved from starvation.  Joseph did not give into bitterness and resentment, but kept his focus on the Lord.

Mom had an amazing talent for being close to death one day and bouncing back the next.  She always said she was ready to be with her Maker but would seem to change her mind at the last-minute.  Unfortunately, when Mom began her latest and final decline, I was away on a vacation.  By the time I came back she was already in a deep sleep and didn’t really open her eyes.  By God’s grace, my brother happened to be in town for a business trip.   We visited Mom together and were so sad to see her in her sleeping state.  Though we sensed what was about to happen, it was still unfathomable that Mom was passing.  Mom was well-loved by the staff at her skilled nursing home that served her and was known throughout the complex for her infectious smile, happy attitude, and complimentary style (she was always giving people compliments). Mom continued in her deep sleep state for several more days and yet it wasn’t until some of the staff at her home came to pay their last respects that it really sunk in that Mom wouldn’t be making her famous comeback this time.  We did our best to prepare for her departure, but one cannot fully understand how hard to lose a parent until they are gone.

But I do my best to see her death is less of a departure as it is a new start, as I think back to a speech Mom told me about that she gave to her graduating high school class, “This is it – this is the Day of a New Beginning ,” so it is today, as Mom has begun a new eternal  beginning with her Lord, which gives us much comfort and happiness.  Mom’s Christian legacy continues in her children and all of her grandchildren.

Happy Mother’s Day to you and your mom!