At the end of a long day, travellers of old would seek out a quiet spot to rest.
It was usually the place where the wells were deep and cool and the water from within would quench their thirst and replenish their strength.
As we travel our incredible journey, we encounter people from time to time who are just such an oasis in our desert.
They have within them a heart where we can draw words, find calm or seek peace that will satisfy the thirst of our spirit and replenish the strength of our soul.
My Mother was that person.
Like most mothers, when we’re in need of comfort, a kind word, or a gentle blessing you would do well to find her for your place of solace.
She loved to write and I am blessed that she passed that down to me. She wrote letters and enjoyed getting written letters in return.
Her poetry was always from her heart.
Her handwritten words in a simple blank card would prepare friends or family for a visit to the hospital or speed their recovery on their return home.
She would write welcomes to the change of the seasons and poems rejoicing in the wonderful miracles that are spread out in front of us daily. While we complained about ice- and snow-covered roads, she wrote about the majesty of the snow-covered Golden Ears that she could see from her balcony, reminding us that, regardless of the weather, “this is a day that the Lord hath made, rejoice and be glad in it.”
She would welcome you as a new friend with a small poem of hope for the future or, if you were leaving, you would get a card with a prayer that would put your travels in the hands of the Lord.
In the early morning hours, with a cup of tea at hand, rhymes would flow easily from her pen to become hymns of hope and praise sung to the rafters of her new church.
In the calm of the evening verses were composed to celebrate anniversaries or remember times and people who had passed before.
A stunning sunset would inspire words that would become a fundraiser with no compensation for herself other than feeling the warmth of doing something to benefit others.
There was no sounding brass to announce her accomplishments but rather a tinkling chime to let you know she had passed by your way.
We are allowed to mourn her passing, but only for a while as she would not want anyone to ‘make a fuss.’
After that, we have to pick up where she left off.
We have to be the one who writes the letters and makes the phone calls. We have to be the one who welcomes strangers and prays for the sinners.
She would like that.
“Keep making new friends as you travel through life so you will never be left alone.”
At least that’s what Peggy McGregor says.