About My Mom, Compliments, and Brightening the Days of Others

I was thinking that I should post something to the Prayer section of my blog tonight. There was a time when I posted each and every night, for years. Now, it seems, I wait for something special to write about.

My whole purpose of the Prayer section, when I began, was to share my day's journey with others, letting them know how I dealt with the day's issues through prayer, and hoping they would find comfort in knowing that they were not alone in their own journey.

As I reviewed the day in my mind, I couldn't recall anything special for today. Then I realized that this meant that the day had no new crisis, no new trouble to deal with. That, in itself, is something to write about. I think we sometimes forget to talk to God when things run smoothly.

Notice, I said "smoothly," not "easily." There is a difference.

I remember back in '94 when my DM was 76, the year she passed away. That year, she had been widowed four years and the loss of the other income had dealt her some severe blows. I had just moved to Las Vegas so I was just finding my first job here and my finances were touch-and-go. I remember saying to her that I felt badly about the situation. I said that it wasn't right. At her age, she should be taking life easy and enjoying herself.

She looked at me with her blue eyes and said, quietly, "Evelyn, nobody ever said that life would be easy just because we grow older." She was right, of course, and I wish I had made a point of telling her that. I regret a lot of things left unsaid, come to think of it.

Why did I hold back? Was it because I didn't want her to be right? All kids think they know everything, whether age 5 or age 50. The older I get, the more I realize I still have so much more to learn.

The only thing that she ever told me that was not true was this - if the day starts out badly, it will get better as it goes along. Wrong, Mom. But then, if you had told me otherwise, I probably would have crawled back into bed, pulled the covers over my head, and stayed there. Moms, at least mine, do seem to know best.

Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for the wisdom my DM tried to share with me and forgive me for all the times I could have brightened her days by simply telling her I appreciated that. Help me to grow more aware each day that I can brighten the days of others by not holding back a compliment. Oh, and thank you for the uneventful day!