Well, we survived our second Mother’s Day with my mother living in heaven.  My sisters, daughter and I spent a fun day with my Dad and I found myself ever grateful to be surrounded by loving family.  I found comfort as always in the words of God . . .

“May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe.”

                                                                                                Ephesians 1:18-20

Think for a minute of the “surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe” in the context of the early Christians.  They witnessed their beloved suffer and die.  They swaddled him in burial cloth and laid his body to rest.  And yet, on the third day he stood before them in the flesh as they clung to each other in the upper room.  Having experienced the greatness of his power, they would certainly know the meaning of hope!  That hope carried them through as Jesus ascended into heaven and they shared that hope with others.  It is that same hope which enlightens our eyes and hearts today.  We can be certain that the riches he promised us will indeed be experienced if we but follow his word and live in his love.

My prayer for you is that you may keep your eyes and hearts open to see the greatness of his power in others.  For when Christ went back to heaven, he made sure that we were gifted with the power of the spirit and left us the gift of Eucharist.  As we take in his body let us remember that as Christ becomes a part of us we must reflect Christ to others.  The greatness of his power must be spread through our eyes and hearts and hands and feet.  Let us be sure that all know the hope that belongs to his call.

Shalom,

Tina

Sixth Sunday of Easter ~ Mother’s Day Blessing

Happy Mother’s Day!  This will be a difficult day for me as this is the first Mother’s Day that I and my family will experience with our Mother residing in Heaven.  Today is also my Father’s birthday, so we will be celebrating both life and death this day.  My Mom had an intense devotion to Mother Mary, so while I miss my Mom terribly, I can’t help but smile thinking of her celebrating this day with the Blessed Mother.  I imagine all the women in heaven gathering for a lovely tea as Mary shares stories of Jesus as a child.  Those years were not recorded for us, for Mary pondered them in her heart, but it is great fun to imagine Mary sharing those stories with other mothers in heaven!

My life has been filled with wonderful moments created by my mother.  In sharing some of the stories with you, I hope that some of my stories might trigger a happy memory of your own mother and childhood!

Birthdays ~ We had great family parties!  We were allowed to have what was then called “slumber parties” for a few of our friends.   Oh, the food she would make and the cake!  What I now realize is that while she created wonderful memories for me, this taught me a bigger lesson in life to not get caught up in materialism.  The important thing about celebrating is being with family and friends, not in the theme or elaborate setting.  The older I get, the more I understand this lesson. 

Vacations ~ our vacations were also focused on family.  My mom would often apologize to us for not being able to take us on a big fancy vacation but oh my gosh the fun we had visiting our cousins in Maryland and Indiana!  We thought that was great!  Our dad was very involved in the Optimist Club when we were young, so our vacations were often tagging along with them to conventions.   I do not know how my mother packed up six children, one husband, and everything needed for the hospitality room while in heels and looking fabulous the entire time.  Geez I can’t hold a candle to that!  Like my mom, I carry this guilt that our younger children have not been to Disney or Universal Studios or Niagara Falls. Our vacations have been to visit wherever their older brother lives and the yearly trip to the shores of Lake Erie with the McCue clan.  Another life lesson which I am still learning; it does not matter where you go but who you are with on the journey. 

Mother’s Day ~ as a young mother it bothered me that my mom was still the one doing all the work on Mother’s Day!  I would be fierce with my dad, husband and brothers that they should be doing the work.  Ah, another life lesson.  My mom was all about serving others.  Our Mother’s Day celebrations gave her the chance to once again feed her six children and their families.  This is a lesson that I need to learn, for in my selfishness, I want a day to be served rather than to serve.  I pray for the strength to daily remember “it is better to serve than be served.” 

So Mom, thank you for being such a wonderful Christian Mother, teaching me by word and deed how to walk like Jesus.  To all mothers and caretakers, thank you for being Jesus to those you love and serve.

Shalom,

Tina