Honoring My Mother

"Her children shall rise up and call her blessed..." Proverbs 31.28

Today is my mother's 8th birthday! It has been 8 years since she left her earthly body and was given her new body in heaven! Praise God!

My mother was a very complex woman. She grew up in a very disfunctional family. There are many things that I could write about that, but that is HER story and therefore not my business to tell. However, in spite of her upbringing, my mother somehow learned the things that she needed to learn to be the mother that I wouldn't trade for any other mother. We had our differences. I think if Zoloft had been "invented" at an earlier time, we would have had a great relationship. I now understand, since I am a Zoloft girl myself, that many of the problems we had in communicating were due to the fact that her body just need that wonderful drug. I was headed in the same direction, until I discovered this drug.

I say all that so people who know all these things about me will not think that I am suddenly saying great things about my mother just because she is gone, and I'm just sugar coating things now. We did have a very rocky relationship. However, the mother that I want to talk about and honor, is the one who taught me many things.

My mother was the first one to teach me about Jesus. Funny, she wasn't raised in a Christian home, but she knew that was important. When I was 4, we started attending Grand Avenue Baptist Church in Gainesville, Texas. She sang in the choir, and was a teacher for the 9-10 year olds, who at that time, were known as the Jr. Department.
Those kids LOVED her and if I run into one of them today, they will still tell me what a great teacher she was, and how they loved her.

My mother gave me (and my brother) a PASSION for music. Wow--what a gift!! It has opened so many doors for me and it's a gift I take wherever I go. I have been gifted with just a little musical talent, but she made me believe that I was the best Alto that God ever created. Because my mother said it, I believed it. I went with confidence into any choir audition, and because of that was able to always be in the top choirs.

My mother taught me how to raise children. I have been successful in raising two wonderful children, and I owe most of that to her. When my children were born, I thought of how SHE had raised 2 children successfully and for the most part just did what she did.

Most of all, my mother LOVED me. My brother and I were her life. Through all the craziness that we went through, there was NEVER a doubt that she loved us with all her heart. She would have died for us and we both knew that. She tried to teach me to be a good housekeeper!! Our house was always immaculate and there was always a hot meal on the table. She had a very generous heart, and gave to those in need, even when she didn't have it to give. That is another thing that she taught me.

So today, Mother, I honor you and I thank God that you taught me all of the important things that I need to know to be the person that I am today.

I love you,
Rudie