My mother passed away in August. She was a woman without fear. She was beloved by many people. She brought joy to life. You say Ok you loved your Mom, big deal. Well it is a big deal. And now I get to tell you why.
My mother was the youngest of seven children. Her parents both worked to support their large family through the depression. All of my mother’s siblings were expected to be little adults. It was frequently the older children caring for the younger children.
Fear ruled this family. I prayed for my mother for years. She was difficult to deal with. She had jealousy, resentment and fear making her decisions.
One example of her fear driven decisions; I bought a house from my parents on land contract. Then my father passed away. I was getting married and was selling my house which had $20,000 sweat equity from myself and my friends. My mother informed me that I had been only renting the house. I received no proceeds from the sale of my house. These are the devastating and hurtful kind of decisions she was making.
I kept praying. My husband gave up his weekly bible study with the men of the church to take my mother to breakfast. He did this for years. When he needed to be spiritually fed, I told my mother he was done taking her to breakfast. Naturally she began attending my spiritual group on Saturday mornings. She found other women that she could trust, that she could talk to. Slowly she began talking about spiritual matters, her perspective on the world completely changed. She was able to laugh at her self. It was less important for her to have her way. She knew how to be loving to her great grandchildren. Her life began to be filled with joy. She made amends to her children, grandchildren and friends.
That is the miracle. God accomplished what no human power could have. God made my mother whole. She had never been whole before that. What a gift to witness her transformation. It was my privilege to be her friend.
The Miraculous Life of Brenda Lee 