A Whatever It Takes Mama
"She looks well to the ways of her household ....Her children rise and bless her." Proverbs 31:27a, 28 (NIV)
My writing has suffered lately, but not without good reason. Sunday was Mama's 90th birthday and we celebrated Mama's life with many friends and family members. Mama sat and held court as people came by to extend birthday greetings, share sweet memories, and swap stories of days gone by. Mama looked absolutely radiant as she greeted each guest. She also looked happier than I've seen her in a really long time. All of the aches and pains that come with nine decades of living, especially to one who has severe arthritis, seemed to disappear for those two hours. For one thing, Sunday is easily Mama's favorite day of the week. She loves going to church and we're all blessed that my sister Jan takes her faithfully each week.
Church has always been a priority for Mama and she made it a priority for us as well. My Daddy worked 34 years on the railroad for US Steel. For most of that time, Daddy didn't have enough seniority to get weekend shifts off and consequently worked most Sundays. Looking back, I now realize that it would have been so much easier for Mama, both physically and emotionally, to stay home, sleep in, and let us kids do the same. Instead she got my brother, sister, and me ready and literally functioned as a single parent in making sure we went to church. And not just to big church, but to Sunday School, Training Union on Sunday nights, children's choir practice, and Vacation Bible School as well. I can't tell you how many times I heard her say, "I couldn't buy the kind of training Hunter Street has given my children!" Mama was our family's spiritual leader, a fact that I didn't truly appreciate until I had my own children and a husband to help me get us there each week. Then I realized what a sacrifice Mama made in order to insure our spiritual education.
Mama and Daddy joined Hunter Street Baptist in 1950, a year into their marriage. Mama was recently honored by Hunter Street as the oldest, living, continuing active member of that congregation. Our family was blessed to have Reverend Buddy Gray, Hunter Street's Senior Pastor for the last thirty years, attend Mama's birthday party. Buddy managed to come celebrate Mama's life even after preaching three sermons and one funeral on Sunday. His attendance was truly the Ministry of Presence!
Born in 1927 at the beginning of the Great Depression, Mama was one of seven children. She went to work right out of high school and worked outside her home until I was born. She returned to the workforce as a school secretary when I was nine years old and retired after 27 years of faithful service. Throughout those years, Mama was a "whatever it takes" Mama. If our school classrooms were collecting newspapers for school paper drives, Mama was a newspaper collector. If a room mother was needed, Mama was a room mom. Because the steelworkers never knew whether they would be laid off or on strike, Mama used her summer "vacations" to can and freeze vegetables and fruits. Food, good food, was Mama's love language. When someone was sick or a neighbor died, Mama cooked. We only learned years later that the cakes and pies that often lined our kitchen counters were Mama's way of working through things. Cooking was therapy for her and the rest of us just enjoyed the fruit of her labor.
I went to a funeral today and the presiding pastor told the congregation that he always asks family members for a one word description to best describe the deceased loved one. I've thought all day about what my one word for my Mama would be. Mama's life is best described with this word: "Faithful." Faithful to her husband. Faithful to her children. A faithful employee and friend. A faithful church member. A faithful daughter of the King. Mama embodies Mark 14:8, "She did what she could."
Thank you Mama, for a life well lived. "Well done, good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25:21 NIV)
And Happy 90th birthday!
Amen and Amen,
Donna