This morning before church, I sat down next to my oldest son. As I crossed my legs, I bumped his shoe, and we compared shoe sizes. His shoe was bigger than mine. Now obviously, my foot is bigger than his. He's only 13. But he was wearing bulky tennis shoes, and I had on dainty sandals. The thought crossed my mind that it won't be long 'til his foot will fill my shoe. In the next moment, I had this thought:
I'm 46 years old, and I still can't fill my mom's shoes.
Oh sure, I've borrowed her shoes when we go to visit, and they fit just fine (Although, I'll never understand where she got that dainty narrow foot. My toes do pinch a little.)
And yes, I've inherited pairs of shoes she bought in a daring moment and then was too chicken to wear said she just didn't wear them that much.
And I confess, there have probably been times (early in life) when I stole shoes from her closet, and they ended up in mine. (I'm sure that happened once or twice.)
When I say I can't fill her shoes, I'm not talking about the size of my feet.
I'm talking about the enormous role she has played in my life. I'm talking about her enormous heart.
She is amazing.
She is a server,
a giver,
an encourager,
a truth teller,
an intercessor,
a great example of a Godly woman.
She is always faithful,
fiercely loyal,
and deserves a crown in heaven for her patience.
She has seen tragedy and sadness and disappointment in her life, but there is no hint of anger or bitterness in her.
On the contrary, she is full of grace and forgiveness and acceptance, always ready to give testimony to God's amazing grace in her own life.
And if that's not proof enough that she's the greatest mom in the world, how 'bout this:
She's an awesome cook!
Anyone who knows my mom counts themselves lucky to eat at her table. (She cooks in her spare time - for fun!)
Still not convinced.
She smells really good, too!
(One of my sons came home after being at her house and said with a smile on his face, "Mmm! Mom my pillow smells like Granny!" He was right. It did!)
I may never be able to "fill her shoes", but I hope someday my children will feel the same way about me that I feel about her.
I hope someday they can say,
"That's my mom, and she's my best friend."
I love you, mom! Happy Mother's Day!
I was just telling someone last week about the day that your Mom and I cut the kernels off of 15 dozen ears of corn one hot summer day. By the end of it, I was covered with sticky corn debris from head to toe and completely worn out. Naomi was still cool as a cucumber standing over the stove stirring the cooking corn and bagging it. She has always been the very picture of a Psalms 31 woman to me. I love her so.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a beautiful tribute to your Mom!!
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