“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”

Ephesians 2:8-10 

Chances are good that we met at Bethel when I stopped and asked if I could take your picture. I come by it naturally; my dad loved to take photos. He gave me my first camera when I was 9. Now countless cameras later, I'm still at ease with a camera in my hand.

I've made the 4.5-hour drive to Independence, Iowa, more times than I can count. Often to visit someone who had forgotten that I was her daughter and instead introduced me to everyone at her assisted living facility as her beloved older sister, Edna. Mom remembered my siblings, but I had disappeared. Perhaps it was payback for my rebellious teenage years when I habitually broke her heart.

On May 1, 2018, I received a call that mom had fallen and fractured her pelvis. On subsequent visits, it became apparent that, though spry and feisty, she did not have the strength to rally. On Sunday, May 12, I headed south again with my laptop loaded with photos. There were photos from her childhood, of her and dad goofing around while dating (forging bonds that would sustain their 40-year marriage), and images of our family through the years. On the drive down, I called my nephew Chris to ask if he would send new pictures of mom's only great-grandchild, his 10-month-old daughter Sybil.

When I arrived, I sent my sister for a well-deserved break, set up my laptop, and mom and I sat by her window and looked through photos. Chris's wife, Steph, had sent hilarious short video clips of Chris and Sybil playing and dancing. Mom could not speak at this point, but her eyes were bright with recognition. She smiled and laughed as we cycled through the photos and videos over and over that afternoon.

I got the call at 3am the next night. I knew before I answered, but it didn't lessen the hurt. For the past year, my mom no longer knew who I was, but I knew who she was and what she meant to me.

I started at Bethel February 1, 2018, so the staff knew about my frequent weekend trips to  Iowa. After my mom's funeral, I shared many of those same pictures that had so delighted my mom with new friends and colleagues at Bethel during a weekly staff meeting. I will never forget their kindness as they rallied around me and offered me support, space and grace.

Prayer: Dear God, Thank You for the blessing of family and friends and the assurance that those we have loved and lost are at peace and will one day welcome us home.