Mother, mom, mommy...

I fully realize that almost every person could write a column bragging about their mother. That's just the nature of having a mom and realizing what a blessing she has been. But I want to give you just a few sentences about my mother today. She is a remarkable person who deserves many accolades.
My mom grew up in northeastern South Dakota on a farm during the Depression. She had a very abusive father who terrorized the family through alcoholic fits. He abandon them several times and nearly starved them to death more than once. As mom grew up she realized that this type of behavior was generational and that she had the potential of passing down that curse on her own family. So, before she was even a mom, she forgave her dad and prayed for the grace to be able to live in a different way for her future family. She made a decision not to pass on the curse she had lived with but to raise her family in blessing. Before I was born she gifted me. What a great mom!
Today, she is in the nursing home suffering from Parkinson's disease and the severe dementia that goes with it. Her thoughts are very confused and she doesn't always know where she is or what's going on. Although it's difficult to see her in this state, my brothers and sister and I still thank God for the way she loved us even when we didn't recognize her. She taught all of us how to forgive and how to live in the present. She always reminded us that we needed to let the negative experiences from our past be in the past. She taught us to take the blessing of an experience and live in that blessing, to forgive those who made life hell, and to remember that God loves us through it all.