My mother is a poem
I’ll never be able to write,
though everything I write
is a poem to my mother.
~Sharon Doubiago
“Grandma, hold me a little longer,
rock me a little more, tell me another
story (you’ve only told me four!). Let
me sleep on your shoulder, I love
your happy smile. I’ll always love
you, Grandma, so stay with me a
while.” – Karen Tribett
Ms. Doubiago penned a nice description of her mother, but it took her 21
words to do it. Mother’s Day is coming up on May 10 and we asked several
people if they could do it in just one (with a short explanation to follow!).
You don’t have to ask me twice,
sweet one. You need a little nap?
You need a little rock-a-bye time?
You got it—Nana’s all yours.
Ruth Hulbert Hamilton was the best
advocate for sloth and procrastination (or perhaps more truthfully, for
putting first things first) when she
penned, “Cleaning and scrubbing
can wait till tomorrow. For babies
grow up, we've learned to our sorrow. So quiet down, cobwebs, dust,
go to sleep. I'm rocking my baby,
and babies don't keep.”
And that’s the truth. It seems my
three babies were just babies. Now
my baby has three babies and I can
hardly call two of them that word anymore. Eleven years ago I was gleefully anticipating grandmotherhood
for the first time and now that boy is
anticipating middle school. His seven
year old brother’s darling little boy
looks are almost a thing of the past
as he races along to keep up with his
older sibling. I do fondly remember
rocking both of them to sleep, eons
ago, but memory fades and it’s hard
to grasp a good hold of it.
arms. I want to hold her with my skin,
hold her with my feelings, hold her
with my eyes. I want to memorize
her soft breaths, the smell of her baby head. I want to hold her forever,
even if it’s only in my heart. To her,
her brothers and each of my own doll
babies, I would have to say: you are
pretty much my favorite of all time in
the history of ever!
There’s another thing I try to remember whenever I get a chance to hold
onto my grandgirl: God’s got a hold
on me, too. He’s got me in a daddy
embrace that’s tighter than my Nanahold could ever be. He holds me in
sad times, uncertain times, times of
discomfort, times of pain. In joyful
times, thrilling times, times of possibility, times of hope—He’s got me in
a forever hold. Christ declared in
John 10:28: “I give them eternal life,
and they shall never perish; no one
will snatch them out of my hand.”
When I asked Him to forgive my sins
and He became my Savior, I beThat’s why, with this third doll-baby
blessing, I’m trying to make a perma- came, so to speak, His favorite of all
time in the history of ever.
nent indentation into my brain cells
every time she falls asleep in my
Who’s got hold of you?
Thoughtful. I watched her provide meals to college kids. I watched her
open her home to overnight guests. I watched her teacher her children. I
watched her make crafts, grow veggies, pick flowers...and give them to
people who she thought needed them. She did things...because she was
thinking of other's needs. —JM
Fun. She had a great sense of humor. She was never afraid of acting
silly with the grandkids. Whenever we were around my Mom we were
laughing. The kids always would be laughing with and at her and still have
beautiful memories of that fun. Love and miss her terribly. —JB
Friendly. My mom has never met a stranger. She LOVES to meet new
people and find out all about them. Many people have told her she was the
first person they met at church and she made them feel so welcome. —BS
Giving. Served with a generous heart, her family, quilts for those in
need, Meals on Wheels. Whatever for whomever needed. —SR
Sacrificial. Gives her all to family. —CT
Encourager. She makes everyone feel so special . —MB
Diligent. Mine was diligent and conscientious in everything she did taking her four to church on an every-Sunday basis, teaching us right from
wrong, preparing meals, washing, cleaning. She was not a time waster or a
lollygagger, for sure! —BL
Caring. She provided a loving, caring home for her M-I-L for many,
many years. —CJ
Ah. Mothers. Thoughtful. Fun. Friendly. Giving. Sacrificial...and more.
What is (was) yours like? What would your description be?
Regular Schedule
Sundays
Morning Services:
8:00am (traditional)
9:30am (contemporary) &
11:00am (contemporary)
Sunday School, 9:30–
10:30am for everyone
Bible Study on worship,
6:30pm
REMEMBER:
Thursday, May 7
National Day of
Prayer
Thursday
May 7, 2015
Lord, Hear Our Cry
Tuesdays
May 7 will be the 64th National Day of Prayer—a
day of profound significance for our country. According to the National Day of Prayer’s website, “it
is an unprecedented opportunity to see the Lord’s
healing and renewing power made manifest as we
call on citizens to humbly come before His throne.”
MOPS: 1st & 3rd Tuesdays
9:00-11:00am
(May 5 & 19)
Diaconate, May 19, 7:00pm
Wednesdays
Youth Group, 7:00-8:00pm
Thursdays
Men’s Bible Study-Bible
doctrine, 7:30pm
Fridays
Celebrate Recovery, 7:00pm
“Making the decision to
have a child is momentous.
It is to decide forever to
have your heart go walking
around outside your body.”
~Elizabeth Stone
8:00am Traditional Service with Pastor Harlan Durgan
9:30 & 11:00am Contemporary Services with Pastor Shad
Durgan (Sunday School for all during the 9:30 hour)
This year’s theme is “Lord, Hear Our Cry” and the
chosen Scripture reference is I Kings 8:28: “Hear
the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.” Emphasis is on the need for people to place their
faith in the “unfailing character of their Creator, who is sovereign
over all authorities and men.”
In Philippians 4:6 Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Take time on May 7 to talk to God.
Present to Him your requests and petitions regarding our
nation, our leaders, our needs. Ask the Lord to hear your cry.
Living Hope Church
Third & Clark Streets, Livingston, MT 59047
406-222-1577; www.livchurch.com