Pearl Mother's Day blog series. The series is week long celebration of moms
and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia
Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth,
Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique
perspective on Mother's Day.
AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl
necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS
LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on
5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.
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and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities
that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing
a copy of Pearl Girls:
Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!
Alexander
Sometimes family is really all you need. This was reinforced to me when my Mother
shared a story a few days ago about her mother, my Grandma. You see, when my
Grandma was a very young girl, around age 10, she was diagnosed with polio. This
meant long hospital stays, extremely limited interaction with children her own age and
lonely days staring out the window from her hospital bed. In those days, with polio, they
felt keeping the children very subdued and quiet was best, and this particular hospital
was as drab as can be. It was also during the time of the Depression, which meant money
was tight and life was tough. Day in and day out, she was given the best medicine and
treatment, but she wasn’t thriving and recovering. Daily visits from adult doctors and
specialists is not exactly stimulating for a young girl. Her health was so poor, at one
point, a Catholic Priest had administered the "last rites" at her bedside.
One day, her older brother and sister decided to sneak some brand new baby kittens into
her hospital room. Their cat Fitzy had just had babies, and the cute kittens were small
enough to put in a basket. Upon entering her room, my mother says they quietly took off
the lid and showed my Grandma the sweet little kittens and let her cuddle with them. Her
mother, my Great Grandmother, observed my Grandma’s mood instantly lift. Her eyes
sparkled and she squealed with delight at the cute kitties! Her whole demeanor changed
and she came to life.
My Great Grandma took all this in and made a decision that day. She decided that my
Grandma would heal much better at home. She promptly checked my Grandma out of
the hospital and brought her home with her family. My Grandma did gradually recover,
among the love and warmth of her family. You know what Proverbs 17 says “ A merry
heart does good like a medicine.” Also, I can imagine that she healed emotionally and
physically and spiritually as well and that combined strength wouldn't have been possible
in the hospital alone.
When they left that day, the hospital instructed my Great Grandmother to massage
my Grandma’s legs everyday, something she promised the hospital she would do, and
she did. My Grandma was one of the few people we know who did not have a limp or
shortened leg due to polio. And perhaps most importantly, the entire family was always
praying for my Grandma.
I’m not saying that medicine is bad or not necessary. But there is no cure quite like the
warmth of your family. Its like milk, it simply does a body good. As a pregnant Mom
about to give birth to a baby boy, I am inspired to provide this same love to my child.
May he feel the same warm love from his family that my Grandma felt from her’s.
And in this same way, we are called sons and daughters of God. Galatians 4:1-7
“Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave,
though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed
by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements
of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born
of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of
His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave
but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
God claims you and I as his children. This is a wonderful gift and identity that is good
for our heart and soul, and something that is more powerful than all the medicine in the
world.
Megan Alexander can be seen nightly as a television correspondent for the top rated news
magazine show “Inside Edition”. She also appears on the CNN program “Showbiz
Tonight”. She especially enjoys reporting on stories with a heart. She graduated from
Westmont College with a degree in Political Science. She loves speaking to youth and
works with Girls Inc and National American Miss. She and her husband reside in the
New York City area and attend Redeemer Church of Manhattan. For more on Megan,
go to www.meganalexander.com.
Megan’s mother, Mary, resides in Seattle and provided insight into this essay.
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