Monday, May 9, 2011

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is always a bitter sweet day for me. I am so thankful for the fourty years that I got to spend on earth with my mom. Let me tell you a little about her. She was a very unassuming lady. She was a self-made woman. She worked from the time she was 13 years old, put herself through college. Many people comment about the lack of money they had growing up, but she truely had nothing, thus the reason she begain working a job at 13 years old. She almost graduated from college, but I was the reason she never finished. (She was only one class away from graduating, as I understand) She never wore make-up. She was not concerned about her outward appearance. She taught me the importance of being beautiful on the inside. She worked tirelessly, when we were growing up to make ends meet. She had the capability to make a penny seem like two. She rebated and couponed like no other. She could have wrote the book on living frugally. She was the youngest of 8 children. (one sibling died at a young age) She lost both her mom and dad when she was in her late twenties. She went to work full-time outside the home when it wasn't popular to do so. She loved Christmas and listened to Christmas music year round. She was truely tone deaf, unfortunaely she loved to sing. She loved to hear me sing "special music" when I was visiting. (Something I should have done more of) She was a pack rat. I get it honestly. She was a terrible cook when my parents married. She learned to cook, but more importantly, she learned to bake. She passed on her cookie baking abilities to me, which many people are thankful for, including my family and friends. She loved her grandchildren. Mine are the only grandchildren she had. She was not outgoing, but cared for the people that God brought into her life. She taught Sunday School.She taught VBS and did the crafts for VBS for many years. We make some really cool homemade crafts for VBS. Mostly, she loved her God and her family. Those are just a few things about my mom. I miss her. I am so thankful I will see her again in heaven. Love you Mom!

Monday, May 2, 2011

It's all about doing what is right

I only share this story to encourage all to do what is right, even when it seems like a small thing and could be easily dismissed. So here is my story:

On Saturday, Andy ran his first half marathon in Mt. Clemens Let's Move race. Gabby and I went to watch him start and then patiently wait for him to finish. It was a brisk, windy day. We saw the group start the half marathon and decided we would go to the finish line and wait. Once there, we got to see all the 5K runners finish and many of the walkers finish. It was a lot of fun to watch people come across the finish line. We still had another 45-60 minutes before we were expecting Andy to cross the finish line. Gabby had wanted a snack and I thought it would be nice to get out of the wind and warm up a bit. We went in a little Coney Island Restaurant and ordered something to drink and Gabby got some ice cream. (Yes, I win mother of the year for letting my 10 year old eat ice cream at ten o'clock in the morning.) We finished and went to pay for our order. I then saw the sign that said they only took cash and no credit cards. I got a little flustered because I wasn't sure I had enough cash on me. I actually had to dig out of the bottom of my purse a couple dollars to cover the bill that was a little over five dollars. I paid the bill and went on my merry way. We got to see Andy finish in under 2 hours. He was very pleased with his time.

Sunday morning while I was getting ready for church, I realized I forgot to leave a tip for the waitress on Saturday. I have never stiffed a waitress in my life. I was horrified. God really began to speak to me that I should fix the situation and return to the diner to try and find my waitress and give her the tip I forgot to leave on Saturday. It seemed like such a silly thing, the tip would have amounted to a mere dollar. Really, should I go back for just a dollar. Yes, for sure. I had to make this right. To make matters worse, I had worn my two word story hoodie on Saturday. What kind of witness had I left with the waitress or had she even noticed. It didn't matter if she noticed, it was time to do the right thing.

Monday afternoon, I was able to go back to the diner and find the waitress and give her the tip I had forgotten. I would love to tell you I was able to witness to her and tell her the plan of salvation right there and then, but this did not happen. I explained what had happened and told her about God prompting me to return to give the tip. She said thank you and told me I didn't have to do it. I told her I did. She said thank you and I left. I don't know if it makes a difference in her life or not, but sometimes it isn't about that only. It is about remaining faithful to the prompts of God, even when it seems like such a silly thing.