Tag: Memories recalled

Mom

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© jb katke

My assignment is nearly complete. I will confess it wasn’t an easy one.

My son requested I write about my mother. She died when he was a young boy. The task brings up memories, some that had been long forgotten. Others tended to be painful, only because it put me in a bad light. I suppose that cannot be helped, and chose not to add those to her memoir.

As a daughter, everything is written through my eyes. The memories bring twenty-twenty hindsight of an immature child. Today I know better than to say and do what I did then.

Mom did the best she could without access to child psychologists or You Tube to come to her aid. She never held an infant in her arms until my brother was born. Being the firstborn, he broke the ice of motherhood. Although, probably nothing could have probably prepared her for me. Don’t you find it interesting how different siblings can be while having the same parents, growing up with the same experiences together?  

As I wrote, my mind traveled back to those last days of her life. Reliving them, watching her weaken as time went by. Mom passed away at the ripe old age of sixty-one. By todays standard, that’s young.

We are about to celebrate the mothers in our life. It used to be we only had one, and in some cases, still is. But the adopted child is doubly blessed; born in the womb by one, and in the heart of another. Both equally vital. Then there are step mothers that have to outlive the stigma of being evil. Not all of them are you know.

Let’s not forget our mother-in-law. Mine was a keeper. She raised the man I fell in love with and married. Have you ever thanked yours for your man? I did and would recommend doing it, your words will be much appreciated. It’s not easy building a little boy into a loving, responsible husband. Particularly if yours is a single mom, trying to fill the role of two parents. I haven’t forgotten we are honoring mothers today, but there is much to be said for a dad in the house too; setting a manly example.

All this to say I salute you mothers. Wear you badge proudly. It’s unfortunate that with our badges come tired eyes, thunder thighs, saggy breasts, and varicose veins. Oh yes, wrinkles too. It’s okay, you have earned them all through years of service and self-sacrifice.

Keep in mind, Jesus doesn’t make mistakes, not with the children under your roof, not your appearance. Both of them give us something to work with. Yes?

Treasures of the Heart II

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 © jb katke

This is the second of my four-part Treasures of the Heart series. These blogs stem from a long ago journal I gave to my husband.

Dave presented it to me as he was scouting for something else. Looking back, it must have been a difficult time in our life. All marriages have them. As I reread through the entries it brought home the importance of words. Spoken or written, makes no difference.

The first theme I noted was Repairs. Today I focus on another theme that came to my attention. Acknowledgement. We all have a need to be recognized, yes?

Of all the pages of affirmation I wrote, Acknowledgement carried the most entries. Words were even mentioned one day in particular.

“You’re talking more today, that makes me happy. I know you are recovering from the stress at work.”

Can a spouse understand working conditions? She can try.

“I realized you didn’t receive anything positive in your life. Not from work, not from the kids, not from me either. I am the only one that can change that.”

Let’s face it, the workforce does not hand out praise for doing the thing you were hired to do. Children cannot comprehend the adult world. Allies can be few and far between, a sensitive spouse can make all the difference in the world.

“My dear treasured husband, this has been a difficult week. Twice you had to deal with uncomfortable circumstances. Addressing them doesn’t come natural to you. But this is what I see, God is at work in your life, giving you the strength to face the moment.”

Even a bad example can be a good one. Having a boastful, arrogant boss who routinely takes credit for your work accomplishments is the epitome of frustration. Being on the receiving end of that provides you the know-how of what not to be.

You know how tough life can be.

“I can tell by your face.”

Home is all we have to let off steam.

As parents, Dave and I didn’t realize how our character impacted the kids. Twenty-twenty hindsight reveals all.

“Years ago Jamie told me he wanted to be a carpenter because that is what Dad and Jesus were. Today he reminded me of how much he looks up to you. The shed key was missing and he had to get newspapers delivered. Anger and frustration spilled over. Looking out the window I saw he was taking the lock off the door so he could get his bike. When I tried to stop him, his words were, ‘Mom, it’s what dad would do.’”

He thought it through-so like his father! I hope that made you as proud as it did me. This is how I wish to end today. Be an overcomer, it is possible with Gods’ help.

One more thing-our son has a career that requires problem solving, much like his father had so many years ago.

Mind Bending

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 © jb katke

It’s over now. A piece of my history.

Those close to me knew I was dreading Saturday. The potential excitement turned out to be more than I could have imagined.

I participated in my first book-signing. That’s a good thing, right? Years of writing became a physical reality in producing my first book. That is an accomplishment by anyone’s standard.

Never have I imagined authoring a book. I was not a writer, not even given to journaling. When the notion was introduced to me, I balked at the idea. It wasn’t in my radar, nor my bucket list.

Some things take time to sink in. It occurred to me when the Lord brings something to attention, it’s best to listen up. Not only is he a God of action, he means what he says. The Good Book is full of instruction; those that  heeded it and people who did not. The latter was not a pretty sight.

As time went by, more incidents of my life were recalled, proving my life was not as uneventful and I had always thought. Putting my encounters down on paper, I realized the Lord has been involved in my life more than I thought. One Day Wonders, Ordinary Days Becoming Extraordinary came to be. Or birthed, as my writing coach puts it. It took labor to make it happen.

The difficult thing is I am an introvert. Talking with others is not a problem, but often after being in a crowd, I feel the need to crash at home. It wears me out. Hence, my dread.

My how the picture changed. A week ago, I was diagnosed with COVID and felt awful. That’s when my mind did a flip. Suddenly, I was concerned I might not be able to be a part of the book-signing event. Recovery was out of my hands.

Just like that, the thing I was dreading became something I wanted to do. Worried that the decision was out of my hands, I did the only thing I knew to do. Discuss it with the Lord. This whole book thing was his idea in the first place.

What I did sounds ludicrous even to me. Keeping in mind who prompted me to write, I gave the Lord permission to do whatever he wanted with my health. Why not trust the one who has all the control? His decision would be all right with me. As if he needed my permission! If I’m healed, I will go through with the book-signing. If I remain sick, he will get me through it.

Waking up in the morning, I felt good. Getting up hours before I have been through the week with no help from an alarm clock. The strange thing is I felt no dread, just calmness. And peace.

This is why I am sharing my day with you. Concerning the things in life you may dread; you can have the same experience I did. Good intentions are nice, but determination takes a person only so far. Bottom line, some things are just outside of human jurisdiction.

It’s nothing more than a simple trust in someone who has more power than you do.