A Prayer about Sorrow and Joy on Mother’s Day

by Elizabeth | May 13, 2023 | Daily Prayer, Mother's Day

A Prayer about Sorrow and Joy on Mother’s Day

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.” Isaiah 49:15

Heavenly Father,

Today we honor mothers,

rising up and blessing them

for their tender care of their children.

We thank you for nurturing mothers,

for strengthening and helping them

to do all of the things asked of moms—

clean, feed, and clothe;

teach, admonish, and guide;

counsel, cheer, and encourage….

Even as we do so,

we recognize this can be a painful day

for those who want that white rose at church

but have not been blessed with a child

or who have lost a child early in life,

whether in the womb or beyond.

It can be a painful day

for those whose mothers

were unable to mother them

for any number of reasons.

It can be a painful day

for those who lost their mothers

seemingly too soon or in the recent past.

We thank you that we can all come to you,

the one who nurtures and gathers your children

and teaches and guides and counsels and encourages us,

for you care for us wherever we find ourselves on this Mother’s Day.

In Jesus’ caring name. Amen.

Read Proverbs 31:10-31; Isaiah 49:15-16.

The Mother’s Day Gift She’s Sure to Love

by Elizabeth | May 4, 2021 | Mother's Day, Weekly Gospel Meditation, Writing

The Mother’s Day Gift She’s Sure to Love

Her children rise up and call her blessed. Proverbs 31:28

I’ll be honest. I’m not really looking forward to this Mother’s Day. It will be the first since my mom died. I didn’t always do a good job of celebrating her. Life got busy, and of course I had my own Mother’s Day to celebrate with my kids. It was also hard to come up with a gift. Especially in the latter years of her life, she insisted that she didn’t want any more “stuff,” so it was hard to find something she would want. She also didn’t enjoy going out to eat as much as she once had, so I couldn’t take her to lunch. The last few years I usually just settled on a scarf or some earrings and a handmade card. When I was going through her “stuff” after she died, I was surprised to see how many of my Mother’s Day and other cards she had saved. I don’t know why I was surprised. I usually save all the cards my kids send me. There is something about a kid (even, or especially, an adult kid) taking the time to write things down.

All of this leads me to this guide to writing a thank-you letter to your mom. I know, buying a card and signing it is easier. Sending a handprint of your preschooler is easier. Writing a thank-you letter is hard, because we have to stop and think about our mother’s life and how it has shaped us. We have to try to put words to thoughts that are hard to articulate.

It’s even harder if you lost your mother early in life or if your mother wasn’t much of a mother to you. Maybe you would like to consider writing a thank-you letter to someone who has mothered you well. I pray there’s someone in your life like that. It may even be a friend around your same age. Some of you, like me, may have lost your mother recently. I plan to do this exercise in remembrance. I believe it will help me as I grieve. Maybe it would help you too.

Life is short, and words are meaningful. Let’s take the time to write them down and give them to our moms.

To get you started, I’ve provided a few prompts and tips for writing.

Prompts:

Tell her something you love about her…

Her cooking, her sense of humor, her wits, the way she provided for you and your family

Tell her a way she’s really helped you…

Always being there when you call or text

Bringing your lunch to school when you forgot it

Taking care of your kids so you could get some time away

Tell her about a characteristic or practice she has that you’d like to develop…

Her kindness, faithfulness, boldness

Her discipline in reading the Bible, her commitment to exercise, her love of prayer

Tell her about lasting impact she’s made…

on the world, on you, on your family, on your friends, on her work.

Think about things she’s really good at…

things she says a lot (even if you got tired of hearing it),

things she loves…

Tips for Writing Your Letter

Pray about it. Ask God to help your memory and your imagination. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the right words.
Brainstorm…Set a timer for 15 minutes and get all your ideas down on paper or into the voice recorder on your phone. Talk to your siblings or your dad if you get stuck. Try to come up with as many specific examples of things your mom has done for you as you can.
Write a rough draft. Set a timer for 15 minutes and just start writing. You can always change things later.
Don’t worry about having the right grammar or the best words.
Do try to be specific…remember to try to “show” rather than “tell”:

If you do this exercise, I’d love to hear about it. Comment below or shoot me an email here.

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How I Quit Competing for the Mother-of-the-Year Award

by Elizabeth | May 9, 2014 | Learning Story

It seems to hit seasonally. Usually around May or June, which would be difficult enough with kids’ stressing over exams and piano recitals and final push choir rehearsals for tour, not to mention the years one of ours is graduating from something, which, with four spaced two years apart, happens fairly frequently. But then you add what I call the ‘birthday’ season, when each of my children turns another year older – May 10, June 1, June 10, and August 10. And what happens is the ever-elusive-mother-of-the-year award, which I had really thought lay within my grasp, slips away.

You should understand that this is not a local, national, nor global award. It exists simply in my mind and is for me alone, to gain or to lose, based on my motherhood performance. There is a point system – I get so many points for helping a child through a major crisis without losing my temper or showing my fear. More points for not yelling when all four plus their friends have managed to empty all of the cabinets of the dishes and leave them on the counter, dirtied, mere inches from the dishwasher which strikes me as their appropriate destination. Even more when we make it through a major life event with something resembling family shalom, everyone present and accounted for and actually happy for the person whose moment it is to shine.

But then. In the midst of these busy months, something happens. Choir and bell rehearsals crash my fantasy family vacation by lasting from 6 – 11 p.m. every night. We arrive at the DMV missing one of the 99 forms you now have to produce to get your learner’s license. And, the one that always puts me over – one of my children brings me an item of clothing that needs to be hemmed for the performance – 15 minutes before departure time. And the points slide away faster than warm chocolate brownies placed on our island after dinner.

As you can see, it’s a tough way to live, and I imagine none of you knows what it feels like to set up a system of judging yourself that always leaves you holding the bag designated to be placed over your head so no one can see what a messed-up mom you are! Thankfully, I found a way to win. Well, I should say, a way to win was shown to me. It turns out there is a Judge who has already judged me, and He declares me delightful – yes, even as a mom. He molds me and shapes me, sure, and works even all that worry and wasted effort to His glory. When I screw it up – by setting up a point system for motherhood in the first place, He so kindly, so gently, draws me to Himself and says, “Elizabeth, come rest in me. Try out my way of doing things – it’s really easy.” Because not only is there now no condemnation in Christ Jesus, there is greater love and delight from the One who knows our harried hearts and has already declared us more-than-a-mother-of-the-year.

¹⁴Sing, O Daughter of Zion;

shout aloud, O Israel!

Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,

O Daughter of Jerusalem!

¹⁵The Lord has taken away your punishment,

he has turned back your enemy.

The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;

never again will you fear any harm.

¹⁶On that day they will say to Jerusalem,

“Do not fear, O Zion;

do not let your hands hang limp.

¹⁷The Lord your God is with you,

he is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you,

he will quiet you with his love,

he will rejoice over you with singing.”

Chocolate Cream Pie: Foods to Feast By

by Elizabeth | May 6, 2014 | Learning Story

Story Feasts are an essential part of each Living Story Bible study, so it makes sense to share some favorite “Foods to Feast By” on this blog (but don’t expect me to go all “food blogger” on you — as you will see by the amateur iphone photos:-). If you have a feasting food you’d like to share, please let me know in the comment section, and your recipe may be featured here.

Here is the story and the recipe of our version of “Mick’s” Chocolate Pie, the best chocolate cream pie ever.

It was the day after 33 hours of travail, a ludicrously long pitocin induction that brought our first child into the world — they did stuff like that in the late 80’s….and I was starved. My meal of choice?

A guacamole burger and a slice of chocolate cream pie from Mick’s, a favorite Atlanta restaurant.

Mick’s version was no stiff, plasticine cafeteria chocolate cream pie. This heavy pie held a deep double chocolate custard firmly set in a chocolate wafer and butter crust, slathered with fresh whipping cream and topped with chocolate shavings. (Sorry for the repetition of chocolate in that sentence, but chocolate is never redundant!)

You can bet my husband delivered this calorie-packed reward to me bedside! I have an old picture, but the pie is out of focus because my husband was actually focusing on my fluid-filled face, which I’m not humble enough to reveal here:-)!

If Mick’s Chocolate Cream Pie was the food I wanted to feast by the day after our first child was born, you can imagine how thrilled I was when its recipe appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. According to urban myth, a disgruntled former employee stole the recipe and sold it to the paper.

Whether that story is true or not, I couldn’t wait to make my own Mick’s pie for a feast. One Friday afternoon, I hurried home after a full day of teaching, excited to prepare this famed recipe for my friends. I had already purchased the supplies, so I launched into prep, following the instructions precisely.

As you will see, it’s not an easy process, but the rich taste is well worth the labor! An hour later, I had finished: chocolate pie crust — check; chocolate filling — check; whipping cream ready to be whipped — check; chocolate shavings ready to top whipping cream — check….

Only then did I notice one essential instruction that should have been at the beginning (in my version it is:-) — you know the part where it tells you the baking time or chilling time? Oops. 24 hours. About 3 hours later, it was time to serve the — chocolate soup. Every single person lapped it up, and a few wanted seconds.

Technically, this is not a chocolate cream pie — it’s a chocolate ice cream pie made for a birthday, and usually the entire pie is covered with whipping cream and the smiley face is chocolate, but they look similar…

Future versions were chilled 14-24 hours, and the Turnage’s Mick’s chocolate pie became a family feasting favorite. Eventually my girls took up the pie mantle and added their signature smily face drawn with a finger traced through the whipping cream. One of my daughters even decided it would be her feasting food for Thanksgiving because she doesn’t like apple pie (which my older daughter makes). (Did I mention that from the time they were about 10, every child had an assigned dish to make (with some help:-) for Thanksgiving? I’m just not one of those big-hearted women who likes to spend the whole day in the kitchen by herself while everyone else has fun!).

I dare you to try it. Make it for a mom for Mother’s Day — or, if you’re a mom, see if you can get your kids to make it for you! (Not recommended if you have children under 10!)

Oh, and CHILL AT LEAST 14 HOURS — 24 IS BEST!

Turnage’s Mick’s Chocolate Cream Pie

Ingredients:

Filling

1 1/4 C. sugar 4 C. whole milk

7/8 C. flour 4 egg yolks

1/8 t. salt 1 1/4 C. choc. chips, melted

1/2 C. cocoa 1/2 t. vanilla

1/4 C. butter

Crust:

1 1/2 C. crumbled choc. wafers (Best are Nabisco ice cream wafers in sundae section of grocery — our grocery only carries them certain times of year, so we stock up when they have them.)

2 T. conf. sugar (or regular)

4-5 T. melted butter

Topping:

heavy whipping cream: 4 oz.

candy bar for chocolate shavings: I sometimes use Ghirardelli squares.

Make the pie crust first so it can start chilling:

Stir sugar and butter into crumbs until well-blended.
Pat into 10-inch pie pan. Refrigerate before filling.

The pie:

In an 8-quart cooking pot, mix sugar, flour, salt, and cocoa. If you’re really ambitious, sift them first. Slowly add milk and stir well. Cook over medium-low heat until scalded (film begins to form on bottom), always stirring.
Separate eggs. You want the yolks. Beat yolks. Slowly stir in 1 cup of hot milk mixture. Add this back to the rest of the mixture in pan and continue stirring and cooking over low heat. (If you’re really ambitious, use the whites in another, healthier recipe:-).
Melt chocolate chips (I put them in a glass measuring cup in the microwave on medium heat, stirring after 30 second intervals, but you could also do the glass bowl over small cooking pan filled with water method — if you don’t know what I’m talking about, google it).
Add melted chocolate chips to pan mixture; continue stirring and cooking on low heat until thickened.
Remove from heat.
Add vanilla and butter; stir. (Sometimes I forget this part, so I’m bolding it).
Pull that chocolate wafer crust out of the frig, and refrigerate 12-24 hours.
Before serving, place whipped cream on top and garnish with chocolate shavings.