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Senior Recognition - Outdoor Service (Bring your own lawn chair) Carry In Meal to follow 6/8 5p Preschool Advisory Board
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On the Journey...
Monthly Insight From Pastor Phil Yoder May 2022 Mothers and Grandmothers
Written By: Philip Yoder Recently, my brothers and I went through some old dishes that my mother had in her china cabinet. My mother is not living on the earth anymore. We know she is living, and probably living in ways we cannot imagine at this point, it just is not on this earth. What I mean is that mom passed away several years ago. I always want to clarify that because it is not accurate to say, “Mom is no longer living.” According to the authority of Jesus, she is living! As we rummaged through what was left of mom’s dishes, we found some dishes that were quite old. We didn’t even recognize them because mom never used them. Many years ago, mom would tell us about these old dishes that she has, and who they once belonged to, and we knew they were priceless treasures to her, but as young boys, we really didn’t care. Now we do! At one point, I begged mom to put a label on the bottom of the dishes to identify them. And while nobody was looking, she did. We found dishes that belonged to our grandmothers, great-grandmothers, and great-great-grandmothers. And in an instant, these old, and somewhat unattractive to modern eyes old dishes, became treasures. We held these dishes in a different way knowing that they were once held and used by our ancestral mothers. As we held the dishes, what I really longed for was to have their stories, the knowledge, the values, and the perspectives of our grandmothers. I wish the dishes could talk, but of course, they can’t. But what they do, is connect us in some small way to previous generations. I keep thinking of how much better we would be, if we had our grandmother’s stories, the faith, and the values they treasured and that shaped their lives. Many years ago, on a cold winter’s night, I asked my grandmother (my father’s mother) what life was like for her when she was a young girl. But she didn’t answer me, not even a word. She just started crying. Later, I discovered that my grandmother’s father passed away when she was only nine years old. The next winter, they had a fire in their house, and they lost everything except the clothes they were wearing. A year later, her mother remarried. They moved to another state. And if the loss of friends, school, church, and community were not enough, their new stepfather made life miserable for them. He had five young children of his own and had no use for another ten hungry mouths to feed, and he never tried to hide his sentiment. And then my grandma’s mother died when grandma was still a teenager. Life was too painful, and she chose to push that era of her life out of her mind, and decided as much as possible, never to pity herself, but also never talk about it and have to relive the pain. But oh, how I longed to know her stories, and I still do. And I still feel that I would somehow be richer if grandma had shared how her faith in God and her loving community carried her through those most difficult years and enabled her to not become bitter and lose her way in life. Mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, PLEASE, do not be afraid to talk to your children and grandchildren. Tell them your stories. You have far more influence on them than you realize. And they desperately need your faith, your wisdom, your perspectives, your values! There is a reason God made sure all of us have mothers and grandmothers. We need you! Modern culture attempts to discard the past so it can control the hearts and minds of the current generation. But your children and grandchildren need you, and they need your stories. And for the most part, they will listen because it is you telling them. They may not take notes or jump up and down with glee as you share your life with them, but they are listening, and they need you to give them some hope and some direction in a profoundly lost world. |