Picture of the day - July 12, 2007

Mom's 80th birthday party

Well, the big day is finally here: My precious mother turned 80 years old today, and she still looks and acts just as young and spry as she did 20 years ago! To help mom celebrate her eight decades of life and love on planet earth, dozens of her "kids", grandkids, great-grandkids, and even a great-great grandkid met at her house yesterday afternoon and threw her a surprise birthday party - and what a surprise it was! She didn't have a clue until she walked into the kitchen and saw a matching pair of birthday cakes, one from her children and another from her grandchildren! Mom has spent virtually her entire life looking after and praying for the people she loves, often sacrificing her own needs and desires in order to help us realize ours. I often think back to the days of my childhood when this amazing woman would get up long before the first glow of sunrise touched the horizon. She would cook breakfast for the family, then off she would go to spend all day working in a hot, dusty sewing factory, only to return home in the evening to cook supper before heading out to the garden or tobacco patch to squeeze in a few more backbreaking chores before bedtime. The old saying "no rest for the weary" could easily have been written just for her. Saturdays didn't offer much of a respite for her either. That was the day when she would catch up on a week's worth of laundry, "can" vegetables from the garden, or pick beans all day for one of the local farmers so she would have a little extra cash to buy the things we kids would need for school come fall. But there was always Sunday... The Lord's day was just that - the Lord's. On Sunday mornings mom would get us kids out of bed early and make sure we got a bath, then dress us in our Sunday best before loading us all into the car and driving us to church. Sometimes we didn't really want to go, but she always let us know right quick that not going wasn't an option. My sister Helen used to tell her "You can make me go, but I'm not going to listen!". But listen she did, and today she is extremely grateful to mom that she stood her ground and made us go to church. And so am I. When her grandchildren came along, circumstances were such that mom ended up having to help raise several of them as well. Like they say, "there is no rest for the weary", and she certainly got little of it even after her children were grown and off living on their own. But she did what she had to do, never complaining, only asking God day in and day out for help, guidance, and the patience needed to get her though another day. All in all, she either raised or helped raise well over a dozen children over the years... and we all love her dearly. Although she has had plenty of reasons for doing otherwise, mom has lived her life filled with enthusiasm, trust in her Lord, and a "never quit" attitude that simply amazes me to this day. At an age when most people would have long given up any aspirations for finishing their education, mom worked long and hard to earn her General Equivalency Diploma. She really didn't need it - after all, she had already raised a huge extended family and been successful at everything she ever tried, but she was determined to do it anyway - just because she wanted to. And do it she did! Today that precious GED certificate is proudly on display in her home, and a tear often runs down my cheek whenever I happen to walk past it and stop to take yet another look. That single document says so much about mom's character - about how she had to study at night after working hard all day long in order to catch up on what she missed by having to quit school at such a young age in order to help her family earn a living. Mom is very proud of her diploma, and her family is very proud of her for doing what it took to get it! When the time came for mom to retire and take it easy for the rest of her life after decades of hard work, she still found that there was no rest for the weary. You see, my dad had already suffered from a number of serious health problems for many years, but just as mom reached retirement age his health began to fail at a rapid pace. For the last couple of years that we had him with us, mom had to care for him much like she had cared for all of those children and grandchildren in her younger years. But "till death do us part" meant just that, and she faithfully did her very best to make sure that dad would finish out his life with as little pain and suffering as possible. That's mom, always taking care of the people she loved, even to the very end. Always faithful. Always... After everything she has been through, at 80 years of age mom is still the same vibrant, loving person she always was, and she still possesses the tremendous faith in God that got her over so many hurdles and around so many dangerous curves in life. And of course she is still more concerned about the happiness and welfare of her loved ones than she is about her own. But one thing is certain... When the good Lord decides that it's time for mom to retire to her home up in heaven, she will find her rest. She will no longer be weary, and she'll be waiting there with a big smile on her face and a whole bunch of hugs when all of us "youngsters" meet at her place for yet another happy family reunion.   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!            Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"