Both John and I are blessed to have amazing mothers. Both were faithful, Christlike women, loved by everyone who knew them. That's why we named our daughter "Marianne." We were hopeful she would follow in the footsteps of both her grandmothers.
This week I want to share some stories about my mom. Here is the first one:
One of my earliest memories is of my mom teaching me to forgive. When my brother Scott and I would argue, she would bring us together. She taught us to say, “I’m sorry” and in return “I forgive you.” Sometimes we had to repeat these words until they could be said in a loving and sincere way. Most important in this process was giving each other a big hug. All of my siblings have learned this lesson well and I am grateful that each of them has been quick to forgive when I have lost my temper or offended them in some way.
The summer before I was in 6th grade, our family moved from Iowa to Southern California. There were several girls my age in our neighborhood and things seemed to go well at first. Then I began to have problems with one of these girls at school. She started to make fun of me and say unkind things about me to our classmates. At first, I tried to ignore it, but over the next few weeks, I became more hurt and upset. I went home and indignantly told my mother what was happening.
I couldn’t believe her response! She suggested that I invite this girl to come over after school and make cookies. I told Mom that the invitation would never be accepted, but Mom patiently sat next to me while I made the difficult phone call. To my surprise, our neighbor agreed to come over after school on Friday. Mom had everything ready when we got home and she stayed with us while we began rolling out the dough and cutting out the cookies. At first, the conversation was awkward, but soon we began to have fun. When it was time for my friend to go home, she apologized to me. Things weren't perfect from then on, but I immediately noticed a change in her behavior at school.
I am grateful that my mother understood and lived the principle of forgiveness. I hope that I can be more like her and strive to follow Christ’s example and the words of Ephesians, “And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
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| Mom with her mom - 1981 or 1982. In Hawaii with the wind blowing through their hair! |
1 comment:
I am really enjoying all your stories of your childhood and your mother! This is reminding me that, especially because I have a horrible memory, when I do remember a story, I need to write it down! Thanks :)
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