No, I won’t regale you with my rendition of that song, nor will I try to make some silly acrostic poem using the letters in the word “mother” or my mom’s name. But though she’ll never see it on this blog, I’m going to tell you about my mother.
Several years ago, I was in a job interview and was asked the question, “Who is your hero?” To be honest, I’ve never had a hero. “God” or “Jesus” are just too cheesy of an answer, and truthfully He is not my hero; He’s my Savior, friend, and Lord. Choosing a person to be my hero was never appealing to me because I’ve been let down by people too many times in my life. Sure, there are people I admire, but to put them on a pedestal and call them my “hero” was something I have never done. But I had to give an answer, and knowing I was being scored on my answer, I replied that the person who comes closest to being my hero is my mother.
My mother’s early years were horrific at best. Abandoned by her own mother when my mom was only 6 years old, and the oldest of 4 children, my mother was “raised” by her abusive, alcoholic father. A compulsive gambler as well, he often gambled away what little money he earned as a truck driver and left my mother to be responsible for herself and her 3 siblings. By the grace of God alone, she attended a church revival at the age of 12 and learned of God’s wonderful plan for her life. God became her hope, her strength, and truly her salvation. When she graduated from high school, she made plans to attend a Christian college near Boston, Massachusetts, and was subsequently threatened with being disowned by her father. While attending Gordon, she met a dashing, charming, brilliant, handsome Christian man named David Edwards, and shortly after graduation they were married. Within a year, God blessed them with the first of their three children. With a husband in school, a new baby to care for, and working a full-time job to help make ends meet, she had a very full plate physically and emotionally. But life continued on, and with it came two more children, graduate degrees for my dad, and a fulfillment of her life’s calling in educational administration. The past decade has seen some of the most significant changes in her life: retirement and the loss of her beloved husband. As I’ve watched her face continued challenges in the past several years, I’ve seen…
strength to face difficulty
hope to face adversities
assurance to face uncertain times
resolve to stand for the truth
loyalty to support the ones you love
perseverance to keep going when you feel like giving up
endurance to finish with excellence what you’ve begun
love to desire the very best for others
and forgiveness to heal the deepest hurts and soothe the gravest wounds
Thank you, Mom, for your example. You may not be perfect, but you are, in the closest sense possible, my hero. And I love you very much.