Today, my blog will continue with honoring my mother and a few of the things that she taught me both in word and deed during her short time w/me here on this earth. I thought perhaps "service" would be one of the top things that comes to mind when I think of my Mom. Given that yesterday was the 10th anniversary of the tragedy of 9/11, I thought it would be a good time to discuss this idea of service.
For the last couple of weeks, I've heard about an "idea" that KLOVE (a radio station I listen to frequently) had for it's listeners. That perhaps instead of focusing on the negative/loss of that tragic day 10 years ago-that we instead would memorialize that day as a National Day of Community Service. I certainly thought that was a great idea, but then I thought of my Mom. How my Mom lived a "life" of service, not just a day. Isn't it unfortunate that we live in a time when we have to put "specific" days on our calendars/schedules to remember special events/memorialize special days. We live in such a "hectic" world, so fast paced, if it's not on our calendar-it just normally will not get done. I believe most people have good intentions, they want to do good for others, they want to serve in their community, etc... but there is SO much "good" out there, that we become overwhelmed and just can't seem to get it all done...even what our hearts truly desire.
My Mom truly lived a life of "service". That was always evident to me from the time I was a young child. Doing for others-whether it was in our family, among our friends, in our community, etc...serving was "who she was". The day of my Mom's funeral, it became abundantly clear to me how many lives she had truly touched w/her service to others. In this modern day w/people so busy and schedules so crammed, if over 1,000 people show up to a funeral visitation service and stand in line for HOURS outside of the funeral home to pay their respects, this is when you know that someone has indeed touched the lives of many people. I feel very blessed to have had a mother that touched so many in such a short period of time.
So, what are some ways that my Mom showed me an example of service? First, by the service she gave to her physical family members. There were MANY times that my Mom "took in" a family member to live with us...whether it was a cousin, sister-in-law, aunt, uncle...you name it-my Mom willingly took the time to serve her physical family even in the midst of working 2 jobs, maintaining a household, and many other outside activities. It was not uncommon for someone to live in our home while they "got back on their feet", "got their life straightened out", etc...and my Mom not only helped care for them physically-but she was always for them emotionally-to provide guidance/advice/help for those that wanted/needed it.
Another way that my Mom provided service, was that she was an active member of a community service sirority. My Mom was a member of Beta Sigma Phi for nearly 20 years. This organization provided many services for our local community as well as for many charities. They had an annual fundraiser for St. Jude's children hospital, they provided eye glasses for children in need at the local school, they provided food/utility bills, etc...for families in need, and many other things such as that. My mom served on the "board" of the local chapter in many capacities and was even crowned the "queen" of Beta Sigma Phi for her dedication to the cause. My Mom was so very passionate about helping/serving others...she had a heart of compassion and this organization was a way that she reached out/took time OUT of her schedule to serve others.
Finally, my Mom even exemplified her "service" mentality in the profession she chose. My mother was a "house mom" for the state of Missouri to several grown men that were mentally handicapped. Mom even worked 2 jobs for the state at one time...one for the state home and one for an organization called ADAPT which helped those w/mental handicaps to learn skills necessary to "adapt" to independent living such as shopping on their own, ordering from a menu on their own, etc... This passion that she had for serving others carried over into her final days in life when she became a foster parent to 6 children that didn't have stable homes. At my mother's request, my parents adopted 3 of those foster children(which all had special needs) and the other 3 (who were not "eligible" for adoption) remained in my parents home until they were of legal age to be on their own. My Mom opened her "heart" and life to these children and they were truly "our family". Unlike many foster families that I knew about during my time as a young child...my Mom insisted that these children were "included" and became contributing members of our family. She served them by giving them a place to "belong", taking them on vacations, allowing them to have "experiences" w/extra curriculars in the community, making sure holidays/birthdays were special, giving them "accountability" for their actions/behaviors...she truly loved them as though she gave birth to them all. When my mother passed away and we were deciding what would be in her obituary and on her headstone, we all knew that we must honor the fact that she was a mother to 8 children, not merely the 2 that she physically gave birth to. My mother's "service" to these additional 6 children taught me that there is SO much more to family than blood. Family is about experience together, love, compassion, caring, etc... Indeed, I was blessed to have a Mom that gave her life so freely in service to others.
Through my Mom's example, I have followed in her footsteps. Again, I learned so very much from my Mom that has benefitted me in my own life, particularly as a servant of Jesus Christ. The idea of "service" originated with the Savior. Jesus said, "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve." It is my love for my Savior and the love He showed to me in that ultimate "sacrifice" of service on the cross that motivates/inspires me to live my life in service to others. Having a living/breathing example of that in my life day in/day out for 33 years in my Mother has made service very "natural" for me and for that I am thankful. First, I serve my family day in/day out. I made it a priority to be available, FIRST, to my family. That means that there were many times that we had to save money for a particular vacation, item we wanted to purchase, etc...because I chose to "stay at home" and manage my household/family through service. What I found is that truly we were not missing out on a thing, God always provided for our needs, and we were "still" a family that loved one another despite the fact that I had chosen to be a domestic engineer at home-we were blessed! Second, I have served my community in numerous ways. I have been on the school PTO boards, been in Junior Auxiliary (community service organization here in Cabot), helped w/soccer teams, helped w/Girl Scouts, loads of things that my girls were involved in when they were younger. As the girls have grown, my involvement in service has changed. I have more "freedom" to do things that don't involve my girls-such as sitting w/spending time w/elderly widows/widowers,hosting a monthly girls club, cooking at a week long youth bible camp, helping w/HIPPY group meetings each month, and being a MOPS mentor. Though the "face" of service has changed for me because of my stage in life, it still provides the same benefit...showing my love to others because Jesus first showed His love to me on that cross.
So, it is with this thought that I will close this blog. I challenge each one of my readers to look at their calendars and search your hearts this week. Do you have something of "service" that your heart longs to do? If so, just get out and do it! Don't wait for our federal government to come up w/a day on the calendar for us...make today that day! Better yet, remember that a life of service is just that...a life! A life comprises moments which turn to minutes/hours/days/months/years...not just a day on the calendar. As hard as it was to lose my Mom 10 years ago...most of the days following her death I was continually reminded how much her "life" had meant to so many others because of her service. She made a difference, she made her life count by serving others. She "lived" more in 50 years time than most are blessed to live in a normal lifespan! She was not "unique", didn't have any special "power"...we all have the same ability to make our lives count, we just have to do what she did-which the Savior did first-go serve w/a heart of love. Don't put it off...things will always be "in the way"...today, go make a difference and serve another in your small corner of the world. If we do this today, tomorrow and each day that follows-we will be living in the footsteps of the Savior and will make a difference for eternity.
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