My mom would have been 81 years old today. She passed many years ago and is missed daily.
I heard someone talking about how special the beginning of the month of August is. I have always agreed. The beginning of August is the beginning of the end of Summer and the beginning of Fall. Two months of summer down and hopefully two left.
My mom loved the summer months. She loved gardening when she was younger and flowers as she aged. She loved to share the first fruits she had grown and made sure no one would ever be in need of zucchini. She made pickles every summer using the cucumbers she had grown. She made gardening look effortless. She would put on her blue falling apart one piece swimsuit with the shredded elastic in the straps, and head out to weed for hours if need be. She would water the garden and then head inside for a nice ice tea or a Tab. Her dirt smudged face and sweaty brow were her next concern. She hated wasting paper towels, but always double them up, wet them with our freezing cold well water from the faucet and would proceed to clean the dirt of the day as she washed herself down. Her brown Italian skin that absorbed all sun would be glistening until at least December. She rarely used sunscreen except for on her face. When we were called out into the garden to help, It was usually to dump the wheelbarrow of weeds in the woods just beyond the tree line. Sometimes we were recruited for said weeding, but that was usually her time alone.
My mom didn't have a Walkman when we were growing up. No headphones for music to play in her ears. Her time in the garden was solitary and uninterrupted save for the birds overhead, the crickets while they played in the field nearby or the sound of a wind rushing through our giant trees. Her alone time consisted of list making, problem solving, and prayer.
My mom's time was rarely wasted. And that time in prayer was the perfect example. Her time in prayer was essential and necessary, personal and all encompassing. She prayed for the the neighbor's struggling marriage. She prayed for the sliver in my foot from my grandparent's dock. She prayed for her friends at church and in the community. She prayed for those that were struggling yet had unmentioned prayer requests. She prayed for the food she grew and harvested to last the winter. She prayed for Grace and Mercy and Chacko and other missionaries. She prayed for our local churches and summer vacation bible outreach. She prayed for our finances.
She prayed.
And then she prayed some more.
When I asked my mom what she prayed for she responded, "Everything and everyone everywhere. Prayer will be the most important thing you can ever do with the time you have. Always choose to pray. Pray when you are worried and anxious, pray when you are sick and tired. Pray when you are discouraged and lost. Pray when you are rejoicing. Always pray."
My mom's love her Savior and all of the time she spent in prayer was never lost on me. I saw her lips moving and no sound coming out when she was in the garden. I always knew she was praying. The hours she spent in prayer are still the perfect example for me today.
When I am worried and anxious, when I am sick and tired. When I am discouraged and lost. When I am rejoicing. For everything and everyone everywhere. But then I also remember how my mother gave thanks.
Her prayers of Thanksgiving were life giving because she often prayed them aloud.
-Thank you God for this food you have provided to feed my family. Thank you for not letting us go hungry and enabling us to help others when we have plenty.
-Thank you God for your faithfulness and kindness. You know this time is hard. Thank you for being ever present.
-Thank you God for guidance and never leaving me to figure it out on my own.
-Thank you God for my family and friends. You give good gifts.
-Thank you for the sunshine when I need it most.
My mom thanked God for everything. She showed me how to be thankful.
In this busy world that often seems off centered and chaotic, I will always remember my beautiful mom and lessons I learned about prayer and thanksgiving from her.
Verses about Prayer and Thanksgiving-
1 Thessalonians 5:18: "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you"
Philippians 4:6: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."
Colossians 3:15: "And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful."
Colossians 4:2: Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
Psalm 28:7: The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
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