This I Testify: "...honour thy father and mother" (Matthew 15:4)

Today for the #LightTheWorld the scripture focus is "...honour thy father and mother" (Matthew 15:4). I must first ask myself what is the definition of honor? "To hold in high respect; revere. Or to show a courteous regard for" (honor). This isn't my normal blog style, but I feel I need to share and write about my mom and just leave it as it comes out. Here goes:

I'll be honest, it has been so difficult to watch my mother age. She has severe osteoporosis and a form of cancer that my parents don't call it by that name. I believe it has made the osteoporosis worse than it would have been, but I don't need to share that with my parents. My mom was a tall, stately woman at 5' 8" tall. She always carried herself with such dignity. She is now 5'0" tall. My sisters (this includes my sister-in-law who is every much a daughter to my mother and a sister to me) and I try and treat her with the honor and dignity that she so dearly needs and deserves during this process that is trying to rob her of those godly qualities.

Dementia is attacking her with a vengeance. In spite of this attack, everyday I am with her, I see and visit with the woman who is full of grace and beauty. Right now, I frequently get to spend time with my mother almost every day. It is a special time to be present with her. She has been sharing some memory books with me that her mother made. They have so much history written upon their pages! She can usually tell me the details of the pictures and the people in them. I'm so grateful she can share these memories with me.

I'm grateful for the time over these past few years of caring for her. It has not always been easy, but I have learned so much about my mom that I never knew growing up. I have learned that she has a great sense of humor and laughs at herself easily. She finds joy in the most difficult and painful situations. She loves her family and has had a gift of gathering us together as a true matriarch. That gift is now dormant, yet it lives on in her daughters as we now gather our own families and gather often with her and my father.

She is so childlike in so many ways. She talks easily with me when we are alone and have one-on-one time. But she is very quiet, observant, and gentle when the whole family gathers as the noise of so many people becomes a cacophony of sound. Yet, she is still that woman filled with dignity and goodness.

She has a stubborn streak that nearly makes all of us crazy when she insists that she must be somewhere other than exactly where she currently is. I believe it's that stubbornness, or perhaps it's better said as steadfastness, that has helped all of her children learn to endure the challenges of life as she has endured.

Yesterday, we were talking about the fact that she never cried. She said that she felt that one could be very sad and not cry, but could be shedding many tears on the inside. I believe my mom has had to do that to survive over the years. She lives the truth of true charity, quickly forgiving my father for hurts that I now know she has shed many tears on the inside.

She is an amazing woman of faith. She has had to trust God a lot over the years. I know she is doing so now as age is showing it's power over her body and mind in a way that I believe, makes one's true self appear. Indeed, she is a faith-filled woman.

She has taught me that being a good receiver of gifts is just as important as being a good giver of gifts.

"Honor they father and mother" is teaching me to honor my earthly parents in a manner that I would honor my Heavenly parents. Respect them. Treat them with love and gratitude for the gift of life they have given me. Indeed, God gives me the very air that keeps me alive from day to day. I am truly grateful for my mother and the gifts she has given me through the example of her life.