Tag: Mom

Mom’s last trip to the hospital was the Friday after Christmas my Junior year of college.  She was in and out of coherency for a couple of days and visiting was limited.  Once she was more stable and coherent, the singing began.  Our friend, Betsy Brown, would bring her guitar with her and we would “have church” in her hospital room.

One of the most significant experiences of my life happened in that room.  I was sitting with Mom when Dad came back in the room with Aunt Barbara Tolar.  When Dad walked in, Mom said she wanted to sing. Mom always did like singing, though she couldn’t carry a tune.  She always said she made a joyful noise.

Dad asked her what she wanted to sing.  She responded, “God is so good.”  I can still see her struggling to sit up in bed, knowing she was dying, so she could sing “God is so good.”  I remember thinking God is very real and He must love us very much because that kind of faith cannot exist apart from a loving God.

I have shared this story numerous times because of the impact it had and continues to have on me. This is the legacy of faith I carry.

About a month before Christmas, I had some time on my hand.  I was missing Mom and thinking about the fact that in just a few years, I will have lived without her as long as I lived with her. I decided to record some of the memories/lessons I learned.  I share these because they continue to impact my life and maybe they will speak to someone else.

Mom loved the outdoors.  She loved horseback riding, sports of almost any kind, gardening, hiking and climbing Gog and Magog (pictured in the header).  I don’t remember when Mom first took me climbing Gog and Magog, but I know that, as I got older, this was one of my favorite things to do on the weekend. Mom would take a group of us and we’d take a backpack with sandwiches and have lunch on top. Mom and Aunt Sandy Achenbach would often carry real coffee mugs (as opposed to plastic that wouldn’t break if dropped) along with a thermos of coffee.  They’d sit on a ledge about half way up and enjoy their coffee with a view.

One of my favorite memories is a conversation I overheard after mom had led a volunteer missions group from the U.S. up and back down. She was telling one of the volunteers that she loved climbing up and around those big granite rocks because it reminded her of the Rock of our salvation. She jumped around on those rocks like a mountain goat, sure-footed, because she knew the granite was solid and not going anywhere. In the same way, she was sure of her salvation.

I am so grateful God gave me the opportunity to overhear that conversation. I don’t remember the day, the year, or how old I was, but I remember the lesson and it will stay with me forever. “On Christ, the solid rock, I stand.”