Mother's Gift

This book is a tribute to my Mother and her little book of devotionals she gifted to me. She died when I was a thirteen-year-old boy, the youngest of six children. She was a first-grade schoolteacher for twenty years until her sudden and untimely death. She raised me and my brothers and sisters as a single parent. She made tremendous personal sacrifices for us and struggled mightily during her adult life. We may have been considered poor when measured by material wealth, but we were rich beyond belief when considering everything that truly counts in life. Mother was larger than life. She was overflowing with love, not just for us but everyone. She was kind, she had a gentle spirit. She always appeared happy even during the times it now seems impossible that she could have been. She was selfless and generous to a fault. She always gave more than she had—even when she didn't have anything to give. She gave of herself. She never took. She never applied for welfare, although I'm sure we qualified, and she never accepted charity from anyone—not even the church. Mother had a strong commitment to Christ and she passed her spiritual beliefs down to us. She instilled her God-given qualities and values in us, and she blessed and enriched our lives. She exemplified the marvel of God's grace through the common stuff of ordinary life. She is truly a Saint.