Thursday, August 1, 2013

Lessons from my mother


I spent the past few days back at my mom's house, helping her recuperate after surgery. She had good days and bad days while I was there, but she was a model patient--rarely complaining, almost always positive, and relatively low-maintenance for someone who had both of her knees replaced. The thing that struck me, though, was her selflessness. She kept trying to give me money for gas, worrying that I wasn't getting enough sleep (I wasn't), and trying to send me home with DVDs, books, and tupperware. She kept talking about being able to get around on her own so she wouldn't inconvenience anyone, how she misses the youth group she leads at church and about some new books she wanted to use with a drug rehab group she works with. I don't know about you, but if I have a surgery like that, I'm probably gonna have a few "poor me" days afterward. Not my mom, though. I noticed when I first walked in on Sunday that she had a piece of paper laying beside her on the bed. When I picked it up, I saw that it had names written on it, front and back.

"What is this?" I asked her.
"Prayer list, " she replied. "I can't really help anyone, but I can sure pray while I'm lying here in bed."

Two pages of people to pray for, and her own name wasn't even on it.

I think that I treat people well, but it isn't until I'm around my mom for a couple days that I begin to see, in the light of her selflessness, how selfish I am by comparison. She's infinitely more loving, genuine, and compassionate than I am.

27 years old, and still learning from my mom every single day. May I never stop.

5 comments :

  1. Yes, Jessica--you have a wonderful momma!!! She is a good person and certainly someone I want to be more like!

    Karen Boone

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  2. This is so sweet. Your mom sounds absolutely wonderful! Praying for speedy recovery for her.

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    1. Thank you, sweet friend. She's pretty amazing, so I'm hoping she'll be climbing mountains with me again soon. :)

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  3. What a wonderful woman! I hope I can be that kind of pray warrior for others one day!

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    1. It's so crazy, because I've (obviously) known her my entire life, but I'm still blown away by her character and her heart on a regular basis. I strive to be like her.

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