Your Mother’s Story
Regrets are missed opportunities.
One of my regrets is that I never sat down with pencil and paper and captured my mom’s story. I thought I knew it, but I didn’t.
Sure, I knew the demographics . . . when and where she was born, siblings, the economic hardships of growing up in the Great Depression. I was the only one of her children born in a hospital instead of at home. And yes, it snowed when I was born, and they brought me home in an ambulance. All interesting factoids.
But I never asked her how she felt. I didn’t know her heart . . . how she felt as a little girl, as a teenager, as a young wife, and then as a mother. As a result, I feel like I knew about her but never really knew her.
I know my Mom was a Christian. She talked about the Lord often, read the Bible to us out loud every night, was kind and generous to everyone. What I don’t know is what brought her to faith. Did she doubt along the way? Did she wander off and come back? Who were her mentors and how did they impact her life?
Let me encourage you to do what I never did. Interview your mother as if you were writing a book about her. Don’t stop with ‘just the facts.’ Ask how she felt as she was going through the trials of her life. Ask her to tell her faith story, even if she’s not a person of faith. It’ll help to know why she isn’t. You’ll be able to better pray for her. And write it all down somewhere so you’ll always have access to it.
Guys tend to focus on pleasing their dads, often forgetting about their moms. Change that, at least for a while. Spend some time studying your mom and, as a byproduct, you’ll light up her heart.
Happy Mother’s Day!
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