Love in Purest Form

Proverbs 31:28 (New American Standard Bible)
New American Standard Bible (NASB)Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
28 Her children rise up and bless her;

Saturday morning at 10.00 usually finds me in a three way phone conversation with my brother Rob, and our mum in England. We catch up on each other's news and that of the village where they live.

Since Mum had a stroke 5 years ago, she has recovered amazingly well and we are grateful, but she still finds conversation hard. She enjoys listening in, laughing in all the right places, and participating a little in conversations mainly carried by Robert and I.

I've been meaning to book a flight there for weeks. Mum is 82 this year and time with her is precious.

So today after we talked, I sat at the computer and booked up at last. Then I called back to tell them.

Robert had already gone back upstairs to his flat, and Mum answered the phone. I could hear the joy in her voice when she heard that I would be there on October 18th. "Oh, my dear friends," she said in her sweet voice with the Dutch accent, "I will have to make a note of that."

I smiled, as that was what she would have done, although not now, as writing is also very hard for her. But it was a glimmer of Mum before the stroke.

I told Mum that I would call Rob on his phone upstairs. He didn't answer, but I left a message on his anwering machine.

A few hours later, Rob called to thank me for my message. He told me that when he went downstairs, Mum had remembered to tell him I'd called, and she told him the right date.

"Yes, Belinda," he said, "Mum does sometimes come out with little gems."

And he told me of something that she'd said on Thursday.

Mum has a weekly shower with the help of her Helping Hands lady, but her feet don't get the attention they really need. She has bunions, and her toes overlap one another.

For some time, Robert, who is her main carer, has bathed her feet once a week.

He lovingly soaks them in a bowl of warm water, and kneels down, which is very hard for him as he has a back problem, to gently wash between her toes. Then he massages her feet with special moisturizing foot cream.

On Thursday, Mum sighed as he did it, tut-tutted, and said, "It's terrible that you have to do this."

Robert said to her, "Mum, how many times did you bath me and wash my feet when I was little?"

And Mum said, "Yes, but that doesn't count."

And in that sentence is the essence of motherhood. Love doesn't keep score; no charge.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
by International Bible Society
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.


The Invisible Woman~Nicole Johnson, 1999 Miss America:
Sent to me by a friend a few days ago; it seems to fit this post and I add it for those that haven't seen it yet.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Great message...I think there is a grace that it required when aging that unless your there it's hard for us to understand. I recall helping my Grandmother and her words were almost identical to your Mum's and mine mirrored Robert's...she didn't think it counted either.
Love,
Irene
Belinda said…
Irene, I honour your nana for who she was. She knew how to live life to the full! She had such determination and fought as long as she was able. It would have been hard those last months and years, but praise God, she is no longer limited physically and she is brightening a corner in heaven with her own brand of sparkle!
Meg said…
Thanks, Belinda, not only for your post, which I mentioned in my email to you, but for the video clip. I have already emailed a friend about it. I would like to know how to insert video clips, how to find relevant ones, and who this woman is!! No rush to explain all these to me.
Belinda said…
Dear Meg,
I will be glad to help with the video clip thing. I don't know who the woman is, but perhaps I can find out!
Belinda said…
Dear Meg,
I will be glad to help with the video clip thing. I don't know who the woman is, but perhaps I can find out!
Meg said…
I checked it out...she's Nicole Johnson, 1999 Miss America - you can google her...motivational speaker and trained at Pat Robertson's university in performing arts. Sometime we can figure out how to upload clips..but likely my daughters can teach me in about 2 weeks..yeah - they're coming home!!!
Joyful Fox said…
Belinda,

Thank you for sharing the invisible woman clip. I enjoyed it in my 'inbox' and it was apprpriate here as well.

When you look at it as cathedral building and as a job done well when no one notices, it seems so worthwhile. The temptation is to become bitter or resentful for the
seemingly thankless and time-consuming tasks.

I like what your mum said and how you said it is the essence of motherhood. "no charge".

It is an encouragement for us in the throes of giving and 'being invisible' when selfishly we (I) look for appreciation, gratitude, or at the very least recognition.

Thanks for your wisdom and insight.

Blessings,
Joyful Fox said…
Belinda,

Thank you for sharing the invisible woman clip. I enjoyed it in my 'inbox' and it was apprpriate here as well.

When you look at it as cathedral building and as a job done well when no one notices, it seems so worthwhile. The temptation is to become bitter or resentful for the
seemingly thankless and time-consuming tasks.

I like what your mum said and how you said it is the essence of motherhood. "no charge".

It is an encouragement for us in the throes of giving and 'being invisible' when selfishly we (I) look for appreciation, gratitude, or at the very least recognition.

Thanks for your wisdom and insight.

Blessings,

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