Celebrating Mom

Today is Mom's birthday. My heart is very heavy. There are no words to express how much I miss her. She has always loved birthdays and I just wish that I could celebrate with her today.

But because I can't, I thought that I would take a few moments to celebrate a bit of who she is. Notice, by the way, that I usually use the present tense when referring to her. My Mom has never stopped being--not even for a second--and she will BE for all eternity. I see no need to refer to her in the past, as if she no longer exists. She is just no longer here.

One of the things that I have grieved is the idea that people won't get to know who my Mom is. If I make new friends, I can't introduce them to her. And I just want so badly for people to know her, and love her, as I do. She is just so wonderful. Thankfully, I am confident that if you know my Jesus, you will get to know my Mom, as well. In fact, we have all eternity to get to know those that we ran out of time with now. Isn't that amazing?

In the meantime, I can give you a brief picture of who she is. She is one of the most stubborn and determined people I have ever met, in the very best way possible. Spunky is a wonderful adjective to describe her. For all the pain and suffering she endured, many were not aware of what she really went through. She nearly always had a smile on her face (I can't wait to see the size of the smile in Heaven). She always focused on the needs of others above her own. I ran into one of her dialysis nurses a few months after she died, and she told me that the last time she had worked with Mom was while she was pregnant. Mom was way more concerned about this nurse overworking herself in taking care of her, than she was with her own care. That is Mom. She made little care packages for the nurses. Every Christmas, she made ornaments for the people who took care of her. She is an amazing prayer warrior--IS--her prayers are now being spoken in God's very presence. She never wanted people to have to be burdened to take care of her, so she would try to be independent to the extreme, even though we loved to help. Even in her final months, she was reclaiming tasks that she had long needed help with. She loved to surprise me by coming home to a cooked meal. I was always so annoyed with this, because she tired herself unnecessarily, but she so needed to show her love to us. Of course, we know how much she loves us. That's why my heart aches so badly and I can't stop the ugly cry as I'm typing.

One of the interesting things that I have learned from reading the Heaven book is that in eternity, as part of live on the resurrected Earth, we will work. Sounds foreign, doesn't it? We so often think of Heaven as just a place of rest. But if you think about it, we feel most fulfilled when we have meaningful things to accomplish in our lives. God has work planned for us in eternity, as well. Work that will always be joyful and fulfilling, giving glory to God.

I can't wait to see what He has planned for Mom to do. I am sure He will say to her, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord" (Matthew 25:23, NKJV). My Mom's heart is enormous, her perseverance is astounding, and with a resurrected, healthy body, she will be so ready! He has so much planned for her, and for us, too.

For today, though, I hope that my Mom is having a restful birthday. It's her second one now in the presence of God. I hope her joy overflows.

Thank God, there will be more birthdays to celebrate than I can possibly count.

Happy Birthday, Mom.