By Vernalee
Today is a day set aside on the calendar to honor Mothers. However, it is what we should do everyday! Though my Mother went home to be with the Lord, her presence is still with me. She is such an integral force in my life. Her teachings and my memories of her are tucked forever and a day lovingly in the crevices of my heart. I find myself frequently and unconsciously talking about her. My Mother had unconditional love. She wanted only the very best for my siblings and me. A good and incredible Mother, she frequently said things that I didn’t want to hear, but needed to be told. She gave me valuable unsolicited advice designed for my well-being! Whether I liked it or not, there were no boundaries to her ever present intrusiveness. As I aged, my love and respect grew and grew like a running vine for her! She knew me accurately inside out. Momma was so truthful about my behavior and her assessments of the aftermath consequences were beyond belief with absolute accuracy. Sometimes excruciatingly stinging, her words hit the nail on the head every time with pinpoint precision at that! How accurate she was without glazing into a crystal ball! How? Mothers know your thoughts before you conceive them; your steps before you take them; your actions before they come to life! They knew you before you knew yourself!
Let me tell you something, “You can't fool Mother Nature or your Mother for that matter!” My Mother not only knew me better than most, she also knew how to put the fear of God in me! Hush! You better not talk back or finish her sentence for her at any age! My Mother told me years ago, "Children should stay in a child's place! Remember that if you forget all else!" In my younger mischievous years, my feisty no nonsense Mom warned me, "I brought you into this world and I'll take you out!" I believed her then and I believed her in her nineties! I can talk for days about my Mother, Mrs. Phoebe - known by many names - Momma, Madear, Big Mama, Grandma - all of which she loved and answered to lovingly. Never too busy, you could call her anytime of the day/night and talk about your problems for hours on end. And we did! She listened and wisely advised us - children, grandkids, great grandkids, and all. For sure, she was our family’s Dr. Phil. There was nothing (absolutely nothing) that she didn't know. Imagine that! Yes, I can talk forever and a day about her, but I will conclude with her lessons about life.
My Mother taught me so much that it is impossible to name them all. Of honorable mention however, she taught me how to love, how to respect people, how to pray ... and to love the Lord. One of her her favorite spiritual sayings was, “Take it to the Lord. If you gonna pray, don’t worry. If you gonna worry, don’t pray!” With tears filled in my eyes, I whisper to the Heavens, “Momma, I love you, miss you like crazy, and wish that you were here to hold my hand, but as you told me in the end, “It’s God’s Will.“ I will never forget you and the many many lessons that you taught me! I thank you for teaching my children - Scooter and Phoebe - about life and living. They are better children and respectful adults because of your guiding hand! I thank you for the love that you gave us all! One of your great grandchildren recently said, “If Big Mama was living, she would have prayed this Coronavirus away!”
We all remember your strong faith in God! We all heard your strong prayers!
Momma - Rest in peace and walk around Heaven all day. Today is your day!“
Happy Mother's Day!
Happy Sunday!
Blessings!