Dispatches from Home – Happy 96th Birthday Mom!

I picked these flowers just for you. Remember when you, Granny, and I planted hydrangeas on the north side of the house in 1962? They’re still there, lovely flowery bundles of pale, azure blue. Happy to report the snappy zinnias and the lush caladiums that you so loved are thriving. And the crape myrtles that you were unsure would survive are magnificent, towering bouquets of pink and white.

I miss you everyday Mom. I learned so much from you about love without you even knowing it: watching you radiate kindness toward those you knew and those you didn’t; watching you soothe conflicts with a smile and a word of encouragement; hearing you sing the old hymns while washing dishes, hymns about Jesus and his love for the hurting and the lost; watching you minister to grieving families, giving money to the needy, and thus proving to me that love is much more than just a word. Your loving actions spoke to me in a language I clearly understood—they spoke silently of love.

Love you Mom and miss you terribly. (Originally published June 6, 2022)