My Mom

What I treasure most about my mom is the passion that she brought to even the ordinary moments of life. To say that mom was passionate about Jesus, is an understatement! She was so passionate about Jesus and had a burning desire that everyone she encountered would have the opportunity to know Jesus. 
Growing up, every morning I would find her sitting up in her bed with her back leaning against her floral backrest. Glasses on and on her lap her open Bible. One hand held her coffee (black plasma was her favorite moniker for her drink of choice).. In the other was her pen where she scribbled notes in the margins of her beloved Cambridge King James Bible and jotted her deepest thoughts in shorthand on a steno pad. Next to her on the bed would be two or three other Bible translations all laid open to the same passage as the one on her lap. 

Mom was passionate about prayer. She never let me walk out the door without saying a prayer over me asking God to guard me against “dangers seen and unseen”. Mom was the one you wanted to call for prayer whenever pain or a trial hit. She was fervent in prayer and often would begin to pray even before you finished describing the present difficulty. She didn’t walk into the throne room of grace, she burst in and ran to the feet of Jesus! She also had a gift for imprecatory prayers. You never wanted to be in the stead of someone who spoke a word against my father, Calvary Chapel, or one of her children. 

Mom was passionate about her role as a mother and wife. She would miss any occasion at the drop of a hat if one of her children or grandchildren needed her services. I still remember the time that she and dad rushed some sixty miles or so down to Vista when they heard that my daughter, Kelsey, had been bitten by the neighbor’s dog. She was present at the birth of each of my children, pacing the hospital floors and praying. 
Mom was passionate for the ministry. She brought great respect, integrity, and honesty every time she taught or ministered. She loved to pepper her messages with personal stories, especially those involving any of her grandchildren. Mom cared deeply about every woman who came to Joyful Life and often felt as if she wished she could give even more to the needs of each of the women that came. 
Mom was passionate about worship. She loved hymns and choruses. She loved to play the piano. I remember many days coming home from school to find mom at the piano. As soon as ai walked through the door, I was conscripted to sing next to her. The same happened when dad came home from work. Mom would play and direct us to “sing louder”, “softer” or with “more feeling”. 

Mom was passionate about people, especially the disenfranchised. I’ll never forget how she invited a young Jewish girl who was mentally challenged, to play carols on Christmas Day in our living room. Gloria, the young girl, had said that she loved the carols but wasn’t allowed to play them at her house. Mom’s love and concern for the hippies is well documented. Not only did she pray for these lost strays, but she would make my dad driver her down to Laguna to find some young people that she could talk to. 
Mom was passionate about life. She made every birthday an event. She loved playing board games with the family and often would cheat to bring more excitement to the game. She poured her heart into every message she wrote on cards and it often took her three or four rewrites to make sure her penmanship and wording were perfect. It was not unusual at Christmas to have some type of trick present instigated by mom. She loved humor and subtle whit. 

There are so many things I could share about my mother, things that she taught me, or influenced me in. Beyond her passion, I will always remember her elegance and the spirit of excellence she brought to all she did. 
Can’t wait to see her again in her radiant robe of white. I know that when she entered through heaven’s gates, from the Holy Throne our Heavenly Father thundered, “Well done thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy fo the Lord!”