3 Lessons Mom Breathed Into My Life

The Maurer Family (my mom, dad, and two sisters - I'm in the middle)

The Maurer Family (my mom, dad, two sisters - and I'm in the middle)

1.  If you want to have a friend, you’ve got to be a friend.  Mom taught me that I can’t wait for someone else to make the first move – I need to be willing to reach out and take the first step in making a friend.  And I need to be the kind of friend that I want the other person to be for me.  If I want them to be available for “play dates” (or lunches, etc.), then I need to be available to them as well.  If I want them to listen to my struggles, then I need to be a good listener to them as well.

2.  It’s never too late to change.  Mom and dad went through six years of counseling (after 25 years of marriage), and  I watched them learn to love and communicate with each other in healthier ways.  I was in my early 20’s at the time, and because of their commitment to change, I began to believe that maybe someday I might want to get married, too.  I’m forever grateful that they were committed enough to each other to keep growing and learning, and not give up.

3.  There’s always someone who needs what you have to give.   Mom was the driving force behind the many foster children we took into our home over the years.  She and my dad also dedicated much time and care toward helping many Vietnamese and Laotian refugees find new homes in our community.  They helped them find jobs, go to doctor appointments, get their kids into schools, learn to speak English, and bring more extended family members over from the refugee camps.  These experiences shaped my early view of the world and taught me that I can always make a difference for someone else.

Mom has taught me many other things over the years, but these three are high on my list – and I just had to share them on this Mother’s Day.

How about you?  What is something your mother taught you that has shaped your life in some way?  Please share a comment below.

 

I’d also like to say HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all the wonderful moms out there who give of themselves so unselfishly – you are a true gift of God!  My gift to you is this video that shows the powerful love of a young mom for her blind son.  (Spoiler alert – you may want a box of tissues nearby).   Click on this link and enjoy!

 

 


5 Comments

  1. Kristy Schutz

    Some of my earliest memories are sitting in my mother’s lap in church. She taught me about Jesus and faith. That faith has never waivered. As I grew older she taught me about unconditional love. Perhaps I wasn’t always the easiest child to love. That prepared me for loving my own children through the challenges. These last several years she has taught me about grace as she has cared for my dad. Her example gave me the strength to face my own challenges as my husband faced surgery. I will be forever grateful for everything she taught me. She is a hard working, smart and kind woman! And I love her!

    • Linda Sommerville

      Kristy, what a great picture of grace! I know about some of your challenges, so I’m so glad to hear how God gave you a mom to help give you what you needed to face those challenges.

  2. Oh, how I miss my Mom. Just by being who she was, in the role God gave her in my life, she taught me how everyone needs to have at least one person they can call who will always care, will never push them away, will always cheer them on, is truly FOR them. Unconditional love and that deep kind of acceptance that notices flaws, but generously looks the other way. Moms are permitted to give that kind of love, that surely must mirror something about God’s heart toward us.

    • Linda Sommerville

      Janet, I so agree – I do think that kind of mom-love is a special reflection of God’s love to us. I’m so glad to hear that you have experienced that in your life.

  3. Angela B Kummerle

    Dear Linda, what a blessing to be at Granlibakken this past weekend – the weekend before Mother’s day weekend. Thank you for your willingness and availability to what the Lord wanted to share.

    I miss my mom though mom left her family with a legacy of love. She had a sharp wit and a twinkle in her eyes.

    We’ll share our 1st Mother’s day this 2019 without mom as I know you will but I pray we’ll be filled with joy as precious memories fill our hearts.

    God bless you and yours.

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