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| A birthday party at my house for Becky White on the left in sleeveless lavender top |
“But his mother kept all these sayings in her
heart.”
—Luke 2:51 KJV
A dear friend,
Becky, called me on the phone. “I’m having a Mother’s Day tea, and I’m inviting
some of our writer friends.”
My heart sank.
Less than two months into my grief, how could I possibly get through an
afternoon without crying? “That would be nice, Becky, but I’ll cry, and that
will bother people.”
Her voice had a
lilt to it. “It’s in your honor.”
Tears stung, and
a knot caught in my throat. Oh. My.
“It’s hard right
now, Jean, but you’re a mother, and you need to celebrate your motherhood.”
Unknown to Becky,
as she talked, tears coursed in droplets on my lap.
“It’ll be fun,”
she continued, “and everybody will wear their favorite spring hat. I’ll make
lots of goodies,” her voice urged. “And some fabulous peach tea.”
I nodded, and in
a quivering voice said, “I like peach.”
“This will be
good.” Now her voice was happy again. “You’ll see.”
“This is sweet of
you, Becky, but like I said, I’m afraid I’ll cry and make everyone
uncomfortable.”
“Invite Jami and
her daughters. We can’t leave them out.”
I smiled. Perhaps
I could do this with Jami at my side.
When my girls and
I arrived at the tea, Becky had kept her word. She set up a long table with a
spread of delicious finger foods and sweet treats. I drank cups of peach tea
and made small talk with friends, and life felt normal for a moment. All the
while, Becky served us and took pictures and smiled her gentle smile.
Weeks later, she
surprised and pleased me with a photo album of my Mother’s Day tea.
Thank You, Father God, for the blessings of
godly friendships. In Jesus’s name, I’m truly blessed. Amen.
That is tough love, and evidence of God at work. Faithful is He who calls you, who also will do it. 1 Thes. 5:24
ReplyDeleteJoyce, you are very perceptive. All the ways I've written this story at different angles, I never saw it as tough love. This is how much my friend, Becky, knows how to love. God bless you for reading my son's story.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I can't forget this is how much God loves us when He places people in our lives at the right moment in time to help us. How Great is our Lord God!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful friend you have, Jean! God bless you, sweet sister!
ReplyDeleteHi Georgene, thank you for reading my book. :)) Yes, my friend, Becky, kept me from the depths of depression, along with several other women in my life at the time. And our Lord orchastrated it all. God bless you, too, Sister in Christ!
ReplyDelete