Mother's Day 2014

I recently received an email from Home of the Sparrow - a non-profit organization that helps "down on their luck" single moms transform their lives and break the cycle of homelessness.  The email quoted one of their mom clients...

"Motherhood is a choice you make every day to put someone else's happiness and well-being ahead of your own, to teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing even when you're not sure what the right thing is...and to forgive yourself, over and over again, for doing everything wrong."
How very true...being a mom is about sacrifice - it is about selflessness.  It's not a choice that I ever made - well, except for my feline children.   And if truth be told, I was guilty of putting our kitty's happiness and well-being on the priority list.  Keeping the windows open so the cat could sit in the window sill while I huddled under blankets to stay warm...keeping special soft blankets out for the cat to sleep on...moving to sit somewhere else so as not to disturb the cat who was sprawled out on my favorite chair...cooking chicken and rice just for the kitty who had tummy troubles. 



1963 - Hughes Family Photo:  (standing) Mom, Dad, Pop-Pop, Aunt Alice; 
(sitting) Granny, me and Mom-Mom

But it certainly doesn't compare with the sacrifices that moms give to their human children.  My mom Louise has certainly gone above and beyond in the sacrifice department.  She chose to be a stay-at-home mom with 3 children - 1 with special needs.  I don't ever remember being without, and vividly remember the great lengths she took to ensure our happiness and well-being before her own.   Like driving us to the bus stop when it rained, making sure we had snacks waiting when we came home from school, taking time to dance with us in the living room while we listened to 45's on the record player (yes, records!), hiding clues on Valentine's Day that made us search for our gifts, always cooking our favorite meal on our birthdays, giving up her only car during the school day so that I could drive to high school, and helping out with all sorts of projects!  



1978 - High School Graduation

And she managed to do so while also organizing our home, taking care of her invalid mother, helping her father in the Ice Cream store, going with my father to mow the church as well as her family's farm properties, and caring for my brother who has cerebral palsy and requires help with all physical needs.   In fact, my memories of growing up are filled with her always taking care of others.   One of her favorite sayings when we were small was "Mommies aren't allowed to get sick".  If we were sick, we had the privilege of staying in bed, having our chicken soup and toast delivered to our bedsides, getting our bed sheets laundered so that we would have cool bedding right after that fever broke, and sleeping how ever long we wanted.   But it was very rare to ever see her give in to an illness...she just kept going, because she had to.



1986 Wedding Day Family Portrait

My mom will turn 75 this year, Lord willing.  She still manages the home, cares for my brother (who turned 52), and is kept busy with the activities of her grown grandchildren and her fur persons Julie and Katie.  She's still baking , buying gifts and helping with our projects!   But the weariness of body aches and limited mobility makes things more difficult, and there are days when she can hardly move and has chronic pain.  But she keeps going, because she has to.

When I think about my mom, I think about Proverbs 31 which talks about the virtuous woman.  Being a Proverbs 31 woman does not mean living the perfect life, but rather living a life with purpose and diligence.   It's about service to God, your family, and to friends and neighbors, always with a gentle and charitable spirit.   And it's about creating an atmosphere where those people feel comfortable, loved and respected.   
25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
    she is confident about the future.
²⁶ Her mouth is full of wisdom;
    kindly teaching is on her tongue.
²⁷ She is vigilant over the activities of her household;
    she doesn’t eat the food of laziness.
²⁸ Her children bless her;
    her husband praises her:
²⁹     “Many women act competently,
    but you surpass them all!”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting,
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹ Let her share in the results of her work;
    let her deeds praise her in the city gates"

Thanks, Mom, for everything you have done for me.  May God bless all the days of your life as  you keep going...serving others.

Happy Mother's Day!

Winter Storm 2014

What a week...starting with 10" of snow on Mon Feb 3...to the second blow of layers of ice and freezing temps early Wed am Feb 5.

The morning commutes to work were tense and tiring, going from regular 45 minutes to 1.5 hours one way.  Every trip became an exercise in strategic driving while trying to navigate the stranded motorists and the closed roadways because of downed wires and trees.  Each morning not only meant "packing your patience" but packing your prayers, too!   And so eerie driving home at night while passing many houses and businesses completely in the dark - feeling so isolated.

Our yard sounded like a warzone as the heavy ice cracked branches and sent shards of ice scattering across the frozen layers of snow and against the house windows.    So many other yards looking devastated as their landscapes were broken, torn and tossed about.

Electric service was out for thousands in our area - we had no electric at our house for 4 days - just came back on tonight at 8:30 pm thanks to a brave crew from Buffalo NY who finally made the repairs.  What a welcomed sight to see those yellow flashing lights pierce through the dark as the cavalry of service trucks trudged down our street bringing restoration to our tired souls.

Giving thanks every night for our home generator which kept the heat, lights and water working until the electric could come back.  Even if it meant that our warm and well-lit abode was so inviting to a family of mice who were happy to check in to our hotel where they feasted on our rolls and bread stored on the kitchen counter.  And without our dear departed Kit to "check out" these guests, we had to resort to mechanical devices.  Thank goodness Kenny was home all week and could tend to the disposing of the unsuspecting victims who's cravings for the peanut butter bait overtook their wisdom to avoid the traps.

Yet on Friday morning the sun beamed gloriously in the morning sky, causing even the tiniest ice coated branch to glitter and sparkle.  The world looked like a scene from the Dr. Zhivago movie.  And somehow you knew that God was saying, "Everything will be ok.  Look at the beauty I can create from even the worst predicament!  Remember that I will never leave you!"  We weathered the storm by faith and the actions of so many angels He sent to help us along the way.   And so we carry on, knowing Spring is only a breath away!