Mothers

Mothers
May 7, 2011

Hannah’s Prayer of Praise

1 Then Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the LORD! The LORD has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because you rescued me. 2 No one is holy like the LORD! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. 1 Samuel 2:1-2

I have to admit, I could not remember who Hannah was; I had to look it up. She could not have any children by her husband, Elkanah. His other wife, Peninnah cruelly tormented Hannah. Now, Hannah and her husband went each year to Shiloh so they could worship God. One year she prayed she prayed, "Dear God, if You will only give me a son, I will give him back to You, to serve You all his days." God wasn’t about to deny such a woman who was this faithful to Him. A son was born to Hannah. She named him Samuel and he became a great king.

Being a mother is an important job. One, or so I’ve heard from my friends who are mothers, that is the toughest one in the world. I’ve never been a mother, but I remember all the things that mine did for me, even when I was a less-than-grateful child or adult. She taught me so much and while I did not agree with all her beliefs, I respected my mother for her love through my whole life – even until her last days on earth.

Here is a poem I’ve written about my Mother. I miss her so much. And to all you mothers reading this – I wish you a very Happy Mother’s Day.

Michelle Rose

In Praise of My Mother
Mary Frances Angelini
b. 7/4/1920 – d. 2/19/2000

I’m sure some days
you wondered who I was.
And you may have asked yourself,
Was I the daughter
that you carried for nine months?
Was I the baby that you so lovingly
raised to adulthood?

No, we didn’t always get along,
but there were times we laughed
and cried together over silly,
situations in our lives.

Mom, this poem is challenging
for me to write, since you can’t
read it. It’s difficult, too, since
you can’t see what kind of adult
I’ve become or whether I learned
any of the lessons you taught me.

Maybe your way of encouraging me
to succeed didn’t use the words
I wanted to hear, but you never
stopped believing in me.
.
I want you to know
I’ve become an adult
of whom you’d be proud.
I write poetry
I keep the precepts you taught me
I love plants and gardening
I remember the good times
when you were alive.

If I could say one thing to you now,
it would be that you did a good job
of raising me.
I hope you are proud
of the daughter you bore
and named because it sounded
musical. I hope that the angels
surround you with music that
pleases your ears.

God's Furred and Feathered Ambassadors

Friends, I had no idea what I was going to write tonight. This came from God. What I write here is about my life and my relationship with the Lord.

God's blessings upon you.
Michelle Rose

God’s Furred and Feathered Ambassadors (and those with scales, too) ;~D
April 1, 2011

An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language. ~Martin Buber

If all the beasts were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to the man. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of the Earth. ~Chief Seattle of the Suquamish Tribe, letter to President Franklin Pierce

Isaiah 11: 6-9
“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (NIV)

So much of my life I’ve spent alone, with the exception of having a four-legged companions – I’ve never been married or had a long-term relationship. God has gifted me with numerous cats, guinea pigs, and a few rats. When I feel lonely, they have cuddled me; sat on my lap; listened when I spoke of joy and sadness; needed me; and accepted me just as I am. It has also caused me great sadness when God took them from me, just as He put them in my life. It’s not that I dislike people, it’s just that for so long I could not relate to my own kind because of my emotional disability. That happened when I was first diagnosed with it, but it still happens sometimes now. I can only be with others for so long then I have to escape to be by myself and with either Sasha or other animals. The words Isaiah uses in this verse are pretty much close to my picture of an idyllic heaven. It’s where I want to be when I leave this earth. I want to run with the wolves, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, and other creatures that humans destroy for their own selfish and greedy motives. Creatures, in this life, that mostly are too wild for human companionship. Ok, I’ve gotten off on a bit of a rant here. But, maybe what I see in them, not that I don’t see it in people, are God’s blessings of understanding.

Last night I was watching The Mentalist, with Simon Baker. If any of you watch this show, you’ll understand what I’m talking about here. Patrick Jane, the character played by Baker, is multi-faceted – funny, outrageous and courageous. But something I realized last night was that he is also perceptive to the needs of people and compassionate towards them. Last night’s episode had me in tears, since Jane understands that a medical examiner, who he’s always ridiculed, is dying. It is that compassion, making me love his character. This is how God blesses me with animals – this is how animals are to me (ok, not that people aren’t). This is how God wants me to be toward other people and my lessons come from some humans and many animals. This is the longest God’s Tug I’ve written so far – although I want to keep them brief. Yet, I needed to get it out, since I’m having a bit of a challenging time right now.