Mom Heart Moments #256

No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.

FOR THE PAST TWO DAYS, I have slept, eaten, been served by and talked with my sweet, kindred-spirit friend, Gwen. In between, as I sipped tea in her living room, she would help her ninety-six-year-old mom out of bed, bathe her, cook for her, dress her, undress her, feed her medicine, and do all the other things her mom needs to do but cannot manage on her own.

Throughout, I have heard a gentle, loving voice: “Hi, Mama. You are dearly loved.”

“Sweet, precious Mama, are you hungry? You sure look pretty today.”

Gwen has been kind and tenderhearted in this way for the past ten years, as her sweet mom’s brain has escaped into regions beyond her grasp, at least most of the time.

Last night as we both put her to bed, her mama had a smile from ear to ear. “I love you,” she said. Her blue eyes sparkled, and we realized she was happy with us lying with her and kissing her soft cheek.

Later, I said, “Gwennie, you are so amazingly patient and kind and content, even though you have to stay here twenty-four hours a day, every day. How do you stay so joyful and content?”

And she responded, “My mama has lost everything dear to her over the years. She saw my brothers die too early, she lost all of her relatives and friends one by one. She has seen tragedy. But through it all, she resisted bitterness and chose to be joyful and give love. And so, even the model of my ninety-six-year-old mom has spoken to my own heart. If she can do it, I have learned how. Every day she greets me with a smile and gentle soul. It is what she practiced, and so it was easy for me to copy.”

If your children copy your example, what will their own later years look like?