A letter to mom

Glory to God in the Highest.  Glory to Jesus, my personal Saviour and friend.  Glory to the Holy Spirit, my everything.  Amen!

Today’s article is approached a little different and is in the form of a letter.  May it speak also to your heart.

Dear mom

Off late, my memory takes me back to special moments.  As a young girl, you tucked me in.  I remember how you took all 6 children to the swimming pool and allowed us to spend the day in the water, whilst you were catching some son and reading a book.  To some it might sound silly, but I know that you gave up your own time over a weekend to do this for us.  You walked a far distance and treated us to the occasional ice-cream, a grateful memory I will always cherish.

As I grew older, I noticed certain things.  You always humbled yourself.  You would eat less, so that all 6 children could be fed.  You bought fewer clothes for yourself so that all of your children could be dressed.  You never had a fight with dad in front of us, but I saw the sadness and hurt in your eyes when something was wrong.  However, you also taught us to solve matters and not leave anything pending.  Hence, you and dad cleared things up in your own way and therefore I experienced a very special form of love as I grew up.

Oh I remember how hard headed I could be sometimes and how I challenged you as a teenager.  Yet, you allowed me to form my own personality and through your mentorship, you taught me how to become a young woman, wife and mother.

Mom, even as you became ill, you stayed so strong.  You never gave up and you fought till the end.  Oh, how unselfish of you.  Even as you were slipping away from us, you waited until everyone left and you were alone with Christ, knowing that it would be easier for us.  The thought of you being alone is not nice, but knowing that you did it for us, leaves me without words.

Mom, you are the most unselfish person I know.  You gave up so much of yourself so that all your loved ones would have the best.  You taught me how to forgive, how to laugh and to be strong even when I felt weak.  Above all else, you taught me how to live and how to love.

Dear mom, you are fresh in my memory and I see you when I close my eyes.  It feels like I can touch you at any time.  My heart is empty, yet full.  It feels like something has been ripped from my heart, yet when I talk of you or to you, it feels like you are right here with me.  I realise that it is because in flesh you have been removed from me, but you live in my heart forever.

I know that you are now with Jesus and that you will live forever.  He is also my strength and with Him and the memory of you and the imprints that you have left in my heart, I will have the strength to go on without you. 

I will always love you!

Me

Since May 2012, my mother was very ill, had a stroke and Jesus came and took her home to Him on 4 August 2012.  What a joyous day for her and an emotional day for the family.  Perhaps you have lost a loved one and find yourself still in emotional pain.  All I can say is that it is all right to cry and to miss your loved one.  Jesus knows how it feels as he also cried over John the Baptist.  What we must however remember is that life does go on and that we can’t keep on living in the past.  Allow the good memories of the past to help you heal.  Live for today, so that it will make a difference in tomorrow.

If you still have all your loved ones with you, you are very privileged.  I want to encourage you to make sure that all is right between you and your loved ones.  Don’t allow little disagreements to come between you.  Love one another like you love yourself.  Spend as much time together as you can.  In cases where you did not grow up under good circumstances, forgive and forget.  Life is too short to hold grudges and it will in anyway make your feel lonely and sick.  Make peace and move on to live life to the full.  You might say that it is easy for me to say but I tell you today that in the end you can’t change the past, but you can choose how today and the future will be.  So you decide what it is that you truly want.

My mother has taught me to enjoy life and this is what I intend to do.  I will always miss her, but I will live for Christ and the ones I love.  I choose to love like no one has loved and I aim to give all of myself, asking nothing in return.

I choose Phil 4:13 and Joshua 1:5 for the journey that lies ahead of me.  May you also find encouragement in those scriptures.

With lots of love in Jesus Name

Princess K

PS:  Dear reader, please remember that the scripture used are from the New International Version.  If the scripture is read in another language and translation it might differ slightly.  A verse in the NIV might be a different one in your bible, i.e. Ps 37:3 in the NIV might be Ps 37:4 in your bible.  This does not always occur, but has happened in some instances.