O P I N I O N

THE SOAPBOX

Stand up. Speak up. It’s your turn.

As long as I can remember, my mother impressed upon me the importance of daily prayer and making sure that God was a part of my life. Now that I am older, I am not sure that I can think of traversing through life any other way.

My mother was a single parent, who gave everything for her children. She was in no means a wealthy woman in terms of possessions, but she carried with her a wealth of wisdom and her faith. Her faith was something that helped to carry her through many trials, and this always remained at the center of her life. She knew life was hard, and that we would all need our faith in order to get through the many challenges that we would face in life. This was a vital life force, which she knew would be essential to accompany us and to prepare us for all our paths, no matter which direction they may lead.

I had a few dark years where I did not pray, nor did I attend any church service. During those years, every Saturday evening without fail I would receive a call from my mom and her first question to me would be, “You going to church tomorrow?” (she would say this with her Massachusetts accent….. I can still hear it, like it was yesterday.) I would sigh and say, “Mom, I have XYZ going on and can’t make it…I am too busy.”

On some days, I would not answer the phone at all and make it a point to avoid her, until after church on Sunday. Looking back, I am very glad that she never gave up and kept encouraging me to make sure that I knew that support could always be found by having God and a close church family, as part of my life.

I have three other siblings and this is the legacy which she left all of us. Due to the strong and diligent efforts of my mother, every one of my siblings has followed in this legacy. We are all active members of our churches and one of my siblings is a pastor. None of us claim to have all the answers and none of us have perfect lives, but what we do have is our faith, which we can depend upon during times of trouble.

In addition to her fervent efforts to ensure that her children were raised to have God as the center of our lives, her faith and determination encouraged her to also make sure that this was passed down to her grandchildren. Every Sunday, it was not out of the ordinary to see one or two of her grandchildren trailing after her to church.

Now that I am older and have children and grandchildren of my own, I find that I nag my children with the same fervor shown by my mother, during those Saturday evening phone calls. Last Sunday, was the anniversary of her passing. It is a tough day, but I chose to do something to honor her legacy and what she taught me. My grandchildren came to church with me; and actually, they come to church with me often. It is in this way that I feel like my mother is still here with me, and that her wisdom continues to be imparted to her loved ones. We all have ideas and beliefs that are important to us. In reflection upon the strong faith abiding legacy my mother left for her children and grandchildren, I am looking to be more cognizant of my own.