My mother is one of the strongest women I know. She is a survivor who has worked hard her whole life, and even in retirement is always doing something. She volunteers on her local election board, works in her church, and cared for my grandfather in her home for the last few years of his life. Recently, she has bought a house in our hometown so that she can be near my little sister. She is cleaning it up and making it a home.
One of my favorite stories about her is of her testimony of blessing. When we were young, my parents started an ambulance company because our little town had none. It didn’t make money for a LONG time. Employees worked for little pay, and often had to race to the bank to get their paychecks cashed. I remember taking a company check to the grocery store to buy food – the cashier and the manager knew it wasn’t good, but they gave us our groceries and Mom made it good later. God bless Freda Kalian, who was promoted to Heaven many years ago. I’m pretty sure there are lots of stories like that about her, but I digress… One day, Mom was walking to the office. She knew the bills were due and payroll was due, and there wasn’t money for ANY of it. She stopped in the middle of an empty lot, just ready to give up. There, in that empty lot, she met the Lord. She handed it all over to Him, and declared that from that day forward this was HIS company and that she would tithe properly and learn to rely on Him. That day, things changed. Checks from insurance companies and Medicare that they had been waiting on showed up – people came and paid their bills, too. At the end of the day, there was enough money to pay the bills AND make payroll! What trust she put in God – she still does, and she is my example.
Mom stuck it out in a bad marriage of domestic violence and alcoholism, keeping the business going and making sure we girls had what we needed. I don’t consider her a doormat. I think of her as unselfish and courageous. She is wonderful, and I am proud to be her daughter.
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