Dear SCC & Friends,
…teaching of kindness… ~Proverbs 31:26
Reflection #218
Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see. ~Mark Twain~ My mother was a perfect blend of kindness and perseverance. She engaged life and God-given opportunities to the fullest. She was an “Army wife” who married in the midst of World War II and wherever we lived she turned a house into a home… be it Georgia, Oregon, Missouri, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Germany, Virginia, Puerto Rico, Kansas , Japan, Washington, Pennsylvania and beyond. She taught school for 40 years and was remarkable in helping us adjust to ever-changing geography and culture. Our lives were permanently temporary and temporarily permanent, but always stable because of her. Even when our dad was overseas for three years, she kept all of us on an even keel regardless of the challenges. She never met a stranger, being gifted with a unique ability to engage and draw out others. My dad often said the best thing he ever did was marry our mother. She was able to be many things to many people, but to her three sons she was simply mom.
She taught us the importance of kindness by her example. It was the way she’d pull me aside and explain how difficult it must be for someone else. As a ten-year-old, she took me to the hospital to visit with her close friend who ultimately didn’t make it. She had great faith, and in times of weakness I could see her strength. My mother had depth and grit which was intentional and consistent. Her mother died when she was four years old, yet her faith in Christ sustained her throughout life. She was a student of life and ever the teacher, making things both fun and interesting. She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. ~Prov. 31:26 Our grandchildren never knew their great-grandmother, but I often tell them that her sacrifice, love and commitment are a major part of the posterity they now enjoy… Her children rise up and bless her… ~Prov. 31:28 Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers. You have made all the difference in our lives. We were made for these days… Keep up the good work!
Gratefully,
Kevin