Happy Mother’s Day

My favorite parenting verse is Isaiah 40:11:

He tends his flock like a shepherd:
    He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
    he gently leads those that have young.

This angel sits in the corner on a shelf in my walk-in closet, visible everyday. It is special to me because it was my mother’s…and it highlight’s my favorite parenting verse.

My mother had a collection of angel figurines. I kept one from her collection (pictured above) but I didn’t want the others. An idea came to me to give them away at her funeral luncheon, held in the church basement.

I had not seen that done before (12 years ago now) so I asked a few others if it was a good idea to give away the angels at her funeral, and I got a lot of encouragement to do so. Since that time, I have seen collections given away at funerals.  

I displayed her angel collection on two tables and made a sign inviting guests to take an angel home with them in remembrance of my mom. All the angels were taken that day, and it was comforting.

A Christmas Festival Angel

Three years ago, around this time of year, my husband was laid off his job. One evening back then, when I was working at the Christmas Festival, an older woman was sitting in the lobby near the box office. I don’t even remember how we struck up a conversation but I found out she lives out of state and has relatives in the festival so came to see the Christmas Festival for the first time that year. As we talked I shared about my husband’s job loss. She encouraged me that evening and said she would pray for me, then we parted ways.

Fast forward three years to Thursday night. She came back to attend the Christmas Festival and came to the box office to check on me. She told me she often wondered how things had turned out for me. I was blessed by this. We visited awhile and she promised she would continue to pray for me…and she would add my friend’s family to her prayer list.

Our conversation was sweet. I told her I wished she lived in my town so we could get together for tea every now and then. I’m delighted to know, and truly believe, she is praying for me and my friend! I’m grateful. I’m calling her my Christmas Festival Angel.