“You mean everything to me!”
Our day begins with a wake-up phone call each morning and I would hear your loving, joyful voice saying, “Arise, shine; for thy light has come,” and together we would sing, “For the glory of the LORD is risen upon us.” And your response would be, “Blessed day!” Our time of sharing when I came to visit was filled with wisdom, counsel, laughter, and joy. Upon my leaving I would say, “Bendicion,” which, in Spanish, asks for the blessing. You would lay hands upon my head, lean yours next to mine, praying and pronouncing God’s blessings over my life.
Mom, you birthed me naturally and spiritually and through the power of your prayers, led me to receive Christ into my life and experience being born again. God used you to transform my life. You encouraged me from day one at the birth of the vision of LWCC. I watched how you gave yourself “ALL IN,” sacrificing and pouring your life into the work of the Kingdom to see God’s vision for LWCC become a reality. For over three decades you walked by my side, opened the physical doors of the church building, welcoming whosoever will let them come. You founded the Ushers and Love Greeters Ministry, provided support to LWCC Kingdom Academy, funded special projects and outreaches, served countless lives, and the list goes on. There is not enough room on this page to tell the whole story.
I am so blessed to have a mother like you in my life, for without you it would not have been possible for me to do what I do and advance the Kingdom of God. You shaped my beliefs and intellect in the Kingdom core values of integrity, authenticity, love, and serving to help others reach their highest life in Christ. You always inspired and encouraged me to dream big dreams and to be the best at what I’m doing. I always remembered your famous saying: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP! All that I am I owe it to you. Your life and ministry to the saints will never been forgotten. You touched many lives with your love, compassion, contagious and pure personality that made everyone feel special. Thank you, Mom, for having given yourself to the Lord and allowing Him to work through you. Our lives are changed. Thomas Campbell once said, “To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.”
Mom, you are one of God’s chosen vessels who carried out His will on earth. You are rare, unusual, extraordinary, exceptional, invaluable, uncommon, and second to none. I can say today that if God had not given you to me as my mother, I don’t know where I would be. Your presence and power of a responsible, authentic, loving mother not only transformed my life but my future. I am what I am today because you saw in me what I did not see in myself. You believed in me when no one else would believe in me. I never knew what God’s love was like until I experienced God loving me through you. We shared a rare bond of love for each other that could never be expressed by words only. A love that cannot be explained but must be experienced. God loves us unconditionally and that’s the only love that is real. Victor Hugo said, “The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved.” And oh, Mama dear, did I feel loved by you!
You provide me with endless joy and happiness that will sustain me each time I’m reminded of your unconditional love that you’ve shown to me. Thank you from my heart for the gift of your guidance, kindness, and support you brought into my life and filling my life with a love that knew no bounds. Your “can do” and “nothing is impossible” attitude was infectious. Our time shared together as mother and son is one of no regrets. You are the greatest mother of all. Our time of loving, praying, sharing, laughing, and serving our Lord Jesus Christ together will live on in my heart for eternity. You always taught me to trust God and have faith in Him because He will never fail us. For that I will be eternally grateful. I will certainly miss our time together, our early morning arise and shine phone greetings, my visits in the home with you, and the impartation of your blessing through the laying on of hands in my life. Yet what you have imparted into my life will last for the rest of my life. I may not be able to touch you now, Mom, but I can certainly feel your touch. Your voice may be gone but it will never be silent; for as long as my voice is heard your voice will be heard. Your legacy will continue through your family for you are our Matriarch. You have passed on a legacy that will continue for generations and generations to come. There is a difference between an inheritance and a legacy. An inheritance is what you leave behind; a legacy is who you leave behind. You have passed on a rich legacy and heritage for your family to continue.
You are not gone; just out of sight but never out of my heart. Hebrews 12:1 is clear – that you are in the great cloud of witnesses cheering us on. You are now in the presence of God and graduated into glory. Even at the closing of your life you left us with a Prophetic Word: “God is about to do something so wonderful like you have never seen before. There’s coming a new beginning.” So, I celebrate you Mom, your life, love, and leadership and I honor your legacy today. You are my CHAMPION, my MENTOR, my SHERO, my QUEEN, my Mama dear. You mean everything to me. I love you deeply, Mom, with the love that knows no bounds. We will see each other again.
Your loving Son forever!