One of my most treasured possessions is my mom’s Bible. After she died, I would hold it, appreciating how every verse was so important to her. I remember how her crooked little fingers would move along the page as she would read under her breath. On our hardest days, she would open her Bible and read aloud our favorite passages -the ones that brought us comfort and hope. As a young child, the image of Mom reading her Bible didn’t imprint on my heart like it does now. She would try to read me stories, but I just couldn’t sit still long enough (bless her heart for trying, though). Her persistence eventually paid off, and I grew old enough for conversations about scriptures and stories from the Bible.
Mother’s Day evokes vivid memories of how special that Bible was, but it also brings another flood of memories: her loving hands trying to teach me piano, even though I was probably her worst student; her encouraging words “You can do it!” (even math); the big smile and the wild applause from the third row in the audience of a fifth-grade school play, when I only had three lines—she made me feel like the star of the show. I remember bedtime stories and prayers, hours of talking, and learning from her that the Lord is my shepherd.
Today, I held that much-loved and tattered Bible of Mom’s—the one she took to chemo treatments in the last days before she died. It was there she shared her faith 
and testimony with the other patients. She was a blessing to others during the hardest time of her life. The older I get, the more I realize the relationship Mom and I shared was very special, probably rare. Not everyone feels joy spending time with their mother, and I don’t take it for granted. I’m thankful for the gift and the precious legacy she left. It’s a legacy that keeps me going every single day.
I wish you a beautiful Mother’s Day weekend. Whether you are a mom, wish to be a Mom, have recently lost your Mom, or are walking through healing from a difficult situation with a Mom, I am praying for you. May you feel loved and cherished on this day of celebrating motherhood. You are celebrated in the eyes of God, and you matter to Him.
Happy Mother’s Day!