One of the highlights of my day is having lunch with my mom. This daily ritual started about two years ago. As we sit at the table and eat, I am reminded this is the same table where literally hundreds of people have eaten one of her deliciously prepared meals. This is the same table where many family discussions have taken place while looking out the kitchen window. Today, the view out the window has not changed over the past fifty years, but the world outside definitely has.
Before lunch, mom was asked to bless the food. While she is confined to a wheelchair, and her memory has waned due to Alzheimer’s, she prayed. Alzheimer’s is a disease that devastates the brain, causes memory loss, and loss of other functions that range from walking to eating and drinking. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s. Mom’s prayer today showed no signs of memory loss.
She started her prayer with “Thank You Lord.” She went on to ask for blessings over the food, her children, and other people in the world. In the midst of my mom praying, my thoughts pondered if she really comprehends the impact of COVID-19 and this pandemic we are currently living in. My thoughts also dwelled on the power of praying mommas’. Moms not only pray for spiritual protection over their children; prayers also go out for their physical protection. The challenges of motherhood constantly remind us we cannot control the decisions our children make, regardless of how old they are. And, we cannot control our children’s behavior, or the circumstances they find themselves in.
Out the kitchen window, while enjoying lunch with mom, gunshots ring out from cars in a high-speed chase down a residential street. Passengers in the speeding cars were shooting at each other. A young black male, innocently walking and minding his own business, came within seconds of losing his life. Unbeknownst to her, a mother’s prayer was answered. Her child is coming home safe.
It wasn’t until my sixties, and witnessed this simple prayer that I had a light bulb moment and realized a mother never stops asking God to watch over their children. Personally, I always knew my parents prayed for their children. As a kid it was something they did. As an adult mom, it’s seeing things change when God is called on. After hearing my mother pray, I was reminded that even when there is physical frailness, God shows us there is spiritual strength.
Thank you, momma, for your prayers. Happy Mother’s Day.
The Traveler Weekly 