Lesson 280 SHE SMILES AT THE FUTURE

Army of Tennessee Chaplain David Chaltas

SHE SMILES AT THE FUTURE

There is a wonderful true story of a woman whose husband was a prisoner of war in Vietnam for over five years.  She was said to be a quiet lady, filled with love of family and friends.  Upon receiving word of her husband’s capture, this virtuous woman began a campaign at securing his release.  She never daunted at the incredible task ahead of her, for she knew her calling.  It possessed her with a consuming fire.

She helped organize a group of ladies whose husbands were POW’s and even attended the peace talks in Geneva.  The expense was large but her cause was larger.  Nothing could deter her from getting the father of her children released.  That day came five years after her quest began.  Upon his return to the United States, he found her waiting at the airport with her children.  She ran into his arms, as one hero embraced another.  She was a virtuous woman who smiled at the future.    

I vividly recall my mother and the many things she willingly did for me and unselfishly gave me.  One of the gifts was her humble spirit yet pride in being a child of promise.  Being very poor, we were eligible for commodities and I had a real taste for commodity cheese and peanut butter.  I remember walking the railroad tracks to Blackey, KY, with her (a distance of 3 miles one way) to ‘trade’ with the people who distributed the delicacies.  She had signed up to receive the provisions, but had refused to take anything if she didn’t ‘trade’ with them.  She would take a dozen of fresh ‘hen eggs’ and batter for the cheese and peanut butter.  That was all she would take though eligible to take all. 

As we walked back to our little four room shack on a hill up Perkins Branch, she would talk to me about always giving a good measure for whatever you needed.  I can still hear her voice as she reminded me that, ‘We were not poor, just broke a lot more than most folk’.  Several years later I began to understand what she meant and the lesson she was trying to teach me.  She always smiled at the future. 

Mothers are truly a gift from God who guides our footsteps so we can fulfill our destiny and learn to smile at our futures.   A saying that I found so true is, “Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.”   Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “The real religion of the world comes from women much more than from men - from mothers most of all, who carry the key of our souls in their bosoms. One of my all time favorite sayings was by Washington Irving.  He stated, A “mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.” 

No matter who you are, we all have something in common and that is our love for our mothers.  If there was ever a virtuous woman who walked the earth, surely every son and daughter would exclaim that it was ‘my mother’.  The Bible tells us so.  In Proverbs 31:  10-31, the Bible teaches us that, “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. ¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. ¹² She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.  ¹³ She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.  ¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.  ¹⁵ She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. ¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. ¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. ¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. ¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. ²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. ²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. ²² She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. ²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.  ²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. ²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. ²⁶ She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.  ²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. ²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ²⁹ "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." ³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. ³¹ Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”

This Mother’s Day, give the greatest gift of all: your love and go visit your sainted angel while she walks amongst us.  For there shall come a day when she walks the earth no more and your heart will pine daily for the sound of her voice, the touch of her hand and the warmth of her smile.  Longing for mother, I wish her the happiest of Mother’s Days.  The old general