Mother Memories

Last night as I wrestled with a physical ailment, I picked up an Apostolic Sentinel and read several comments, from various ladies, about their mothers. The topic seemed to be about advice, given by the mothers, that had proven true and steadfast. My mind immediately flew to my mom and how she prayed! She gave advice aplenty like all moms, but the thing that has stuck in my mind with absolute clarity is the way she prayed. My mother was not a 'part-time' prayer person. Her prayer schedule included daily sessions, and most of the time she prayed two or three times a day. We lived in a small community with neighbors on every side, but across the street, at a diagonal angle, lived a little lady named Florene Brown. Aunt Rene was Mother's prayer partner. She owned a small grocery store, and she lived as simply as any person in our rural town. Her home, however, was the neighborhood prayer room, and my mother visited it as often as possible. Many a battle in the spirit world was fought and won by those two ladies on bended knees. While Mother managed to pray at least once a day at home, she always managed to pray with Aunt Rene too. As an adult I have come to realize that the prayers Mother prayed, when everything was going right, were like a huge savings account when things went wrong. There are times when, I am sure, Mother turned her face to the wall like Hezekiah, of the Old Testament, and said, "Oh God, remember my faithfulness and hear my cry." I believe that my mother's voice was so familiar to God that he never had any trouble recognizing her or coming to her rescue. This is the advice that I received from my mom, not from her spoken word but from her living example. "Pray when the sun is shining, and when the storm clouds arise, God will be your sustaining strength!"