...and made each of us feel special. As we grew up, most of us moved away from Southwest Missouri. Mama grew old, and dementia set in. She went to live with my sister in California. Nine years later my family drove out to visit her.
The years had bent her back and shrunk her bones and eyes, but she seemed to be physically strong. She couldn’t remember my name, but her smile and bright eyes told me she knew me.
When we talked to her or looked her way, she responded with one of three phrases: God bless you – You have a pretty complexion – You sure are pretty. I must’ve heard ‘God Bless You’ at least fifty times during the three-day visit. One afternoon while riding in the back seat of our car, an old gospel song, playing through the speakers, perked her up.
“I know that song,” she said with fondness in her eyes. It seemed the details of life had escaped her memory, but not the Lord of her heart.
When we returned to Arkansas a series of events drew me back to church, and I rededicated my life to God. I had been out five years, and now blessings showered me as never before. I’m convinced I received Mama’s blessing.
