Turning 35 years old really seemed a turning point to me. I found out
alot about myself, my Momma and most of all my relationship with God. But my
revelations did not come in the packaging that I had expected when I prayed
to God to let me know my Momma better.
My mother raised my sister and I by herself after Dad left . She had to
work 2 jobs to make sure we had what we needed. Then she would make sure the
food was cooked and our clothes washed. There was little time for small talk
or running around. For a young girl, this was hard for me. I wanted a Momma
who would talk and listen to me for hours. And I wanted to spend time going
places with her. I did not understand then --how tired she was when the
necessities were taken care of.
Now that I am a wife and mother, I have some idea of all she had to do.
I have a loving husband and a job that allows me to be home with my children
when they come home from school. She did not have such a luxury.
Several years ago I found a personal relationship with God. Before that
, I was busy doing what I wanted to do and getting into this scrape and that
one. It seemed I always has a chip on my shoulder. Many things began to
change about me.
One of the things that I found I wanted most of all was to get a close
relationship with my Momma. We did not argue or anything--we just were not
very close to one another.
What happened instead was that her neighbors started calling me because
Momma had wandered away from her house and could not remember how to get
back home--even though she was just down the block. The doctors confirmed
what we all had feared. She had Alzehiemers Disease.
I was MAD at God!!! How could He do this to me--I had prayed to get to
know my Momma better and He gave us this to deal with instead. I opened the
Bible one afternoon and it fell open to the passage=="Knock and the door will
open, Seek and ye shall find, Ask and you will be given..." I could not
understand--this was sure not what I asked for.
Over the course of the next two years, I visited Momma every day at the
nursing home she was in near our home. We would talk--and tell family
stories. For me they were the same ones over and over again. But for
her==they were new most of the time. I filled her room with things that I
knew she loved. I brought in fresh flowers, made sure that there was some
Cashmere Bouquet soap in her bathroom and bought her a comforter for her bed
in her favorite colors. My sons bought her a clock that chirped bird sounds
at each hour--she really love to hear it.
Another one of our favorite things to do was for me to brush her hair.
She had a Sterling Silver Brush that belonged to her Mother--and it was in
her top drawer. Each day I would get out the brush and gently brush through
her silver hair. She seemed to really love it so. I found myself looking
forward to doing this for Momma.
The day finally came when Momma did not know me. I knew such a day would
come eventually. But the pain was very real when it actually happened.
Over this course of time I had worked through my anger at God. Always
striving to understand. Then one day when I was praying--I understood. God
was answering my prayer. I had asked to get to know my Momma better. And I
certainly had been able to do that. I sent more time laughing and talking
to Momma in those two years that at any other time.
Was it hard seeing this happen to my Momma--yes, it certainly was. But I
got the chance to tell her each and every day for two years that I love her.
For part of that time--she would respond that she loved me too. And when she
got to where she could not longer do so--by then I already knew!!
So you see---Ask and you will be given...
Happy Mother's Day to all of you!!
About the Author:
Lucinda Monger lives in Kansas and loves to write short stories for her friends and family.
If you would like to reach Lucinda or comment on her article please email her
at lucindamonger@aol.com.
