As I prepare for my 47th birthday this May I am so reminiscent of the last gift my mom gave me on May 17th, 2008. My birthday was 6 days before my mom went to be with Jesus on May 23rd, 2008. She was enduring 4 to 7 hour dialysis treatments, which were draining her completely. She wasn’t sleeping well, as a matter of fact she would sleep in the back room after my dad would fall asleep, so as to not wake him from her coughing. He told me about this a few years after. She always and I mean always put others first, but she always had Jesus at the top of that list. My mom did not have Dialysis on weekends, which brought her back almost to her full energetic, fun, loving self. We went to Outback as usual for Mother’s Day and it was a nice time together. I was going out of town for Special Olympics the Next Weekend and wanted to make sure I stopped by the house everyday that week of my birthday.

My birthday fell on the Saturday in 2008 and since I was going to be out of town I went by to see my mom everyday. Sometimes if I got there after 7 because of practice she would already be in bed and would be asleep. This was really a very hard thing to witness because the dialysis had really become like her paralysis. She would try and stay up to see me before she would go to bed and I could see how drained she was. I returned that Sunday which was the 18th and went to go and see her and spend the rest of the day. When I got home Sunday morning, there was a huge box and my dad had dropped off, it was a hammock for the balcony. This is not the last gift though, the last gift was my mom living out her servant heart.

I made sure to leave practice early on Monday the 19th. When I got to the house, my mom had made curry goat for my birthday. She knew I loved it and she wanted to make it for me. Now, the tradition was always 3,4 or 5 lobster tails, but this birthday dinner she wanted me to know how special I was to her. My mom was an amazing cook and learned all by watching her aunt growing up. The goat was a little tough, because she was to weak to tenderize it, but the flavor was unbelievable. She had also made some curry chicken for my dad and her. After I sat down, with my last supper from my mommy, I knew, well my soul knew something was up. You see for years, my mom would not let me see her hurt or broken, she was always smiling, even when I would see her after dialysis and I knew she was just tired!

This day was different, you see she made the curry goat on a day she went to dialysis. There I was sitting down eating the curry goat with some white rice, my dad sitting in his recliner. My mom had actually woke up when she heard me come in and she walked from the back bedroom to serve me the curry goat. She told me to get a table and sit down! Then as I was sitting and eating, she got up went into the kitchen and put 2 pieces of curry chicken on a small saucer. She ate one of the pieces of chicken and then for the first time ever, my mom got up and just walked back to her room. She didn’t say a word, she was just so tired! I remember it as if it was yesterday! It was only 3 days later that my mom would go home to be with Jesus. She loved me so much, but so so much that even in her brokenness she wanted her baby to be happy.

I want to live a life that allows me to want to put people first. That God would allow me to be a blessing to those I meet because of His presence in me!! Jesus, The Holy Spirit and God were intertwined into my moms soul and she lit up any room she walked into. Whether she was about to cuss you out or hug you so tightly, both came from the love she had for you. I am very appreciative of that gift she gave me and I know that I will see her one day again! Cherish every moment you have with your loved ones and when they are gone live as if they are watching you, because you know Jesus is!

One Love, One King, All Christ!