We Pulled Off a Big Surprise

A couple of months ago we started planning a special ceremony at the church to honor my mother, Bernice. She has been a member of the same church since 1946 and has played the piano for every choir and all manner of solo, duet, trio, etc. for over 50 years. This morning, all our plans came together and it was great. After bringing her up out of the audience and giving her a crown and some roses, we treated her to her very own version of "This is your Life." We started coming out from behind closed doors to surprise her. We read poetic tributes and shed some tears. We presented her with a scrapbook full of notes from family and friends and a certificate that said "you put the grand in grandma." Then, finally, her sister (who lives about 400 miles away) came out and it was priceless. I can't believe we have been putting this together all this time and she had no clue.

Anyway, my point is that she never wanted or expected such recognition. That's what makes her so special. She doesn't even realize how special she is!! I told everyone at church that if the writer in Proverbs who wrote about the excellent wife had been my mother's son, he would have written something like this:

Who can find an excellent mother, for her value is greater than rare jewels
Her children trust in her, and they will have no lack of love and attention
She makes them feel safe and protected all the days of her life
She seeks out fabric and makes them clothing with her own hands - yea, they have A-line skirts in every color
Her kitchen is like a fine restaurant, her menu covering everything from pinto beans to lasagna - her dumplings and prune cakes are known throughout the land
She rises while it is still night to make cocoa for her daughters' friends, and no pajama party is complete without her popcorn
She stands in the cold to watch for the school bus while all the children of the neighborhood wait inside her warm house
She makes cookies and cupcakes for every school party, and serves as room mother without complaint
Her arms are strong from stirring the p-nut butter candy which spells the end of many attempted diets
She is a shrewd shopper, drawn like a magnet to clearance sales
She is generous and giving and opens her hands to the needy
She is not afraid of the snow, for her children always have warm coats and hats and gloves and sleds
Her bed is always warm and welcome to any child having a bad dream
Her family is well known in the community as she walks them to church
She teaches Sunday School and leads the Young People in music and Bible study
She clothes herself with dignity
She doesn't fear the future, for her freezer is filled to overflowing with leftovers
She speaks with wisdom and teaches kindness to her children and grand-children
She does endless loads of laundry and her kitchen floor is mopped and waxed
Her four daughters rise up and call her blessed and try to make her proud
Many mothers have done excellently, but you surpass them all
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain
but a mother who fears the Lord is to be praised