The Heart of a Mother

08May, 2024

Moms are pretty amazing, aren't they? They're the ultimate multitaskers, juggling a million things at once while still managing to be there for us whenever we need them. From cooking our favourite meals to offering a shoulder to cry on, moms are always there, quietly making our lives better in so many ways. Their love is like no other, grounding us and giving us the strength to face whatever life throws our way. Yeah, moms are pretty great. DW Kyle, our recent Interim Director of Facility Maintenance, wrote a blog about his mum. Check it out below...

Before I tell you a story that I told all my parent's friends at their 40th wedding anniversary just over sixteen years ago, let me give you some context by telling you a little bit about my mum. She is the kindest, most soft spoken, meekest woman I know. She has recipe cards full of prayer requests from all her relatives and family. She prays for high school friends that I haven't seen since 1992 and prays daily for the concerns of our family. To say that she is a prayer warrior is a gross understatement. She prays in the morning, she prays in the evening, and when she can't sleep at night, you guessed it, she prays. She is always trying to find a verse of encouragement or a chapter in the bible that is applicable to the trials and tests our family is going through. The only time I have ever heard her raise her voice was when, as boys, my brothers and I would get into fights with each other, and then we would get mad at each other for making Mum raise her voice. She once told me that she always had anxiety when she would hear the ambulance drive by until she adopted the mantra that the sound of an ambulance was the sweet sound that help was coming. Mum is a woman after God's heart.

Now, let me tell you what happened one sunny, winter day in Calgary, Alberta. Mum was driving home from an appointment with me and my two brothers in the back seat. She realized that she had missed her turn and was headed out of the area that she wanted to be in. So, without warning, and completely out of character, she pulled a U-turn, not seeing that there was a median in the middle of the street. Before you knew it, all three boys and our mum were airborne, doing the best we could to grab on to anything that would hold us down. Once we landed and were headed back in the correct direction, mum looked in the rearview mirror to check that her boys were fine and noticed that she had left a piece of the car on the median. Once again, we turned back in order to pick up the piece of the car we had left behind. Later that day, when we pulled up to the duplex, dad was surprised to see the muffler and exhaust system from a Ford F-250 truck strapped to the roof of our little Chevrolet Malibu with the ends sticking out over the hood and the trunk of the car.

At their wedding anniversary as I recounted the story to all their friends and family, everyone was laughing out loud (including Mum who was wiping the tears of laughter from her face), sharing in the absurdity of the events and the gentle nature of my mum.

Mum and Dad are getting on in years and have started to face different types of challenges. You never care about your health until it starts to affect you, and as you get older, it comes to the forefront. Mum is the ever present caregiver to Dad and always has time for anyone who needs an ear to listen or needs a meal cooked for them. She is a wife, grandma, friend, sister, and to me, a mum like no one else. Just recently, she was out with her granddaughter at a small-town symphony, knowing the value of investing in the heart of her grandchildren. I know she is too humble to shout out her attributes, but she doesn't need to because everyone who knows her, knows the woman that she is. Love ya, Mum.

I hope that you can laugh and cry with me when I share about my mum and you can remember the care and unending love that comes from yours. We wish you all a Happy Mother's Day, and look forward to celebrating with you this coming Sunday.

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