Teaching Them To Love Their Children

A dear friend of mine died peacefully in her sleep a few nights ago. In our last brief conversation, I addressed the business at hand and then closed, telling her that I'd call her back sometime soon so that we could "catch up" with one another....
Handwritten notes from her have become treasures, as have the photos and the memories of her beautiful smile and sing songy voice!

But, I'm writing this to declare a tribute that one of her daughters shared with me. She was telling me how hard it will be to not have her Mom around, especially for her two daughters. How much her mother loved her four tiny granddaughters and how much it hurts to contemplate the future without their sweet grandmother involved in their lives. She had been at all of their births, helped out in those first few difficult days with the new babies; making sure her girls were recovering well rested and well fed. With tears she anticipated what the upcoming birthdays would be like without Grandma. It was just so painful to imagine that these little ones would not know their Grandma. And then with a deep breath of resolve and more tears she straightened her shoulders and declared "It makes me want to be just like my Mom so that they can know her that way".

What a blessing this mother has left for her daughters. No bad memories, no regrets!

Makes me think of the passage written by the apostle Paul..."follow me as I follow Christ". These girls have a pattern of godliness to hold on to. Their mother's ways will continue to bless and guide them in her absence, bringing forth more fruit for the Kingdom of Christ. What better way for an older woman to teach the younger women to love their children, as we are instructed in Titus 2, than by just doing it?