Precious Memories of My Beloved Mom

 

My beloved Mom, Frances Mae Carson Willis, went home to be with Jesus on April 30, 2010. For Christmas one year, I found one of her handwritten recipes for White Fruit Cake. I had it engraved on wooden cutting boards and gave them to my brother, daughter, and son. When my daughter opened her cutting board on Christmas morning, tears immediately sprang from her eyes and mine as we simultaneously remembered all the many times we had watched Mom meticulously prepare her White Fruit Cake recipe, using her vintage white Sunbeam MixMaster. There really are no words, just precious memories.
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Another Christmas, I had her handwritten recipe for Lemon Squares printed on cotton tea towels for our loved ones. It truly brings back all the precious memories we have of her just by seeing her handwriting on those wooden cutting boards and those cotton tea towels. 

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During the days while my Mom was in palliative care, I played the song Be Still My Soul from Amy Grant’s Legacy album continuously prior to her homegoing. It begins with a melancholy guitar solo called Fields of Plenty and culminates with a voice-over poem by Amy. My heart was so captured by the lyrics I wrote every word in the Bible I had with me. Even listening to it now brings back the flood of warm feelings of peace I experienced during those days, knowing that Jesus was with me in my Mom's room, gently carrying her home.

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Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side;

bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;

leave to thy God to order and provide;

in every change He faithful will remain.

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Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend

through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

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Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake

to guide the future as He has the past.

Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;

all now mysterious will be bright at last.

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Delight yourselves in the Lord, yes, and find your joy in Him. 

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Be known for your gentleness and never forget the nearness of our God. 

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Don’t worry, whatever is going to come, just tell God every detail, and the peace of God that no one understands will come to you. 

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No, don’t worry, just tell Him every detail and His peace will come to you. 

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These heart-felt lyrics draw my heart to one of my favorite Scriptures, Philippians 4:6-7…

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NLT: Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

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Phillips: Don't worry over anything whatever; tell God every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer, and the peace of God which transcends human understanding, will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus.
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Amplified: Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

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Peace is the calm assurance that Jesus knows what He’s doing. It is not related to our environment or circumstances. Peace is a gift, something Jesus gives. Through thankful, fervent prayer—articulating our burdens to Jesus—we exchange anxiety for peace. We seize His promises and assurances. The peace of God is powerfully vigilant, for it literally guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. We can imagine this peace as a fortress encircling us. It protects our mental, emotional, and spiritual health; our stability; our steadfastness; our confidence in God. As we pray, we experience His peace, the walls grow taller and stronger, protecting us more and more. Peace guards our hearts, we live behind the safe protection of our fortress of peace. No matter what, ruling our hearts is the calm assurance that Jesus knows what He’s doing.

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Heavenly Father, God of peace, teach me the path of peace. Thank You for precious memories of our beloved Mom. Teach me to pray with thanksgiving, to submit my requests and needs to You—and to leave them there. Forgive me for trying to carry my burdens on my own. You don’t want me to live in the clutches of anxiety; You want me to live freely, guarded by Your peace. Please flood and guard my heart with peace. Remind me, Father, that peace is not the absence of problems in my life but the calm assurance that You know what You’re doing. You have never failed me, and You will never leave me or forsake me—my confidence is in You. In the name of Your Son, Jesus, the Prince of Peace, amen.

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Look Up—meditate on Philippians 4:6-7… pray to see what it reveals about the character of God.

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Look In—as you meditate on Philippians 4:6-7  … pray to see how you might apply it to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries: "Because God is_________, I will_____________."

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Look Out—as you meditate on Philippians 4:6-7 …pray to see how you might apply it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every relationship, for your good, and for His glory.