It Matters {Part One}

In one week, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving.  

Thanksgiving was one of my mom’s favorite holidays.  I remember her fussing every year about how people were starting to skip over Thanksgiving and go straight to Christmas.  She felt it was very special to take time to be thankful and sharing that thankfulness with others.  

I miss my mom.  I found an video of her on my old computer yesterday, and oh the sound of her voice!….

My mom taught me SO MUCH, and she guided me to be the person I am today.  I am so thankful for her!

Today, I wanted to repost a very special post to me in honor of my mom and her beautiful life.  

 

{This post was originally shared on January 6, 2010.}

I am writing this post today because my mom told me to.
No, I did not hear her voice in a dream or a vision.
She told me herself a couple of weeks before she passed away.
She told me to write a post called, “It Matters.”
Let me explain…
When we found out Mom had cancer, something amazing happened. I witnessed something I had never seen quite so clearly before. I saw the Love of God in action through others!
For the seven short weeks she lived after her diagnosis, I saw other people reach out to her and our family in more ways than I could have ever thought possible.
Mom was showered with cards, phone calls, visits, meals, and countless prayers.
And here is what I learned…IT MATTERS!

Mom was going through the most trying time of her life, and so were we. Our hearts were breaking, our lives were turned upside down. Yet in the mist of the rubble, we were daily being “built up” by the love of others.

So many of our family members and friends brought us meals… almost every night. When we had been at the doctor all day long with mom and came home to find a warm meal on the table made by loving hands, I realized…IT MATTERS.

Mom received a ton of cards in the mail. Sometimes 30 or more a day! Mom would read each and every one of those letters. Some made her smile, some brought her to tears, but ALL of them gave her encouragement, and I realized….IT MATTERS.

There were many other ways Mom was blessed by others during her illness…
Gift cards to restaurants
Food for her pantry
Money to help with medical bills
Stamps to help with her letter writing (Mom loved to write others even when she was sick.)
Books to read
Tapes to listen to
Flowers
Emails
Phone calls
Gifts
and the list goes on and on….
And as I sat and watched others pour out their love to my mom, I realized…IT MATTERS.
One night Mom was laying on her bed, and I was in the chair next to her, and we were talking about all the blessings we had received from others. I was in awe of what a difference it made in our ability to make it through each day. The prayers and actions of other believers actually made us stronger. And it made us thankful. I told Mom that I couldn’t believe how much it really mattered. That’s when she told me I should write a post about it. She told me to encourage others to take time to do the “little” things in life that make a big difference for Christ.
I have grown up in church and have had many opportunities to minister to others who were going through difficulties. Sometimes I took advantage of those opportunities, sometimes I didn’t. When Mom got sick, I found myself on the receiving end of those ministries. I had so many of my friends and family members bring meals to my home, send me cards to let me know they were praying for me, and even babysit my kids so I could spend as much time with Mom as possible. What a blessing! And I realized more than ever…IT MATTERS.
It changed me. Since Mom has passed away, I have been faced with opportunities to reach out to others in need. I look at those opportunities differently now. For now I know what a difference they can make in someone’s life, including mine.
If you are presented with an opportunity to reach out to someone in need this week or in the future, I want to encourage you to do so. Send a card, take a meal, or make a phone call; whatever it may be….
IT MATTERS.
And may God bless you for blessing others,

Traci

(I will share PART II of this post tomorrow.)