Happy Birthday, Mom!
Moxie - n. Kathleen M. Patterson
It's my dear Mother's birthday today. Words cannot convey the love, admiration, and respect I have for her. She didn't just take lemons and make lemon aid in her life. She took heaps of manure and planted a fruitful garden. If you look up the word "moxie," I wouldn't be surprised if you saw a picture of my Mom.
Left to Right: Viola, Audrey, Edward, and Kathleen Fargo
I know that I am not alone in my love, admiration, and respect. My Mom literally spent years of her life behind closed doors, listening to, crying with, counseling, and praying for an untold amount of people. This flows from a heart that has been gripped by none other than Jesus Christ Himself.
My Mom and Dad at their 50th Wedding Anniversary!
She can tell you her own testimony, how Christ redeemed her life from the pit. (Psalm 103:4) One of the main reasons I am a Christian today is that I saw a dramatic change happen in my Mom's life many years ago when I was still a child. Once Christ got ahold of her, she never looked back.
Sisters Audrey (Fargo) Holmes and Kathleen (Fargo) Patterson
She went from a high school dropout to earning a Master's Degree in Social Work. She also deserves a place in the pastoral "gallery" of the Bakerville United Methodist Church. In my opinion, she was the only bright spot in the long line of pastoral duds that have darkened that pulpit since the venerable George Smith. And she did it without receiving the "double honor" others received.
She has her share of "Alexander the coppersmith" (2 Timothy 4:14) in a couple of family members who dishonor "their Mother and Father,", even to the point of one proclaiming her "dead." I fear for those who break the first commandment with promise (Exodus 20:12 and Ephesians 6:1), and I pray for their repentance regularly.
I recently wrote about my dad, how he is my "hero." However, my Mom is more like a Light House in my life; inviting, safe, kind, and protective. I do not know anyone else in my life who has the gift of wisdom that my Mom has. She just "gets it."
She has taught me one of the most essential life lessons. Anyone who has ever had the honor of receiving my Mother's ministry will know that at the end of almost every conversation, she will invariably utter the words, "Let's pray!" Those two words have introduced more change, healing, and honor to Christ than any words I have ever heard anyone else utter.
My Mom is one year away from 80, as I am a year and a half away from 60. We are almost 20 years apart in age, which is remarkable considering that I have an older brother and sister. I cherish my Mom and am grateful to God for the gift that she is in my life and in the lives of many other people.
As I have written in other places concerning my parents, I know that I will grieve when each one passes on to their reward, but I will not have regrets. Why? Because I intentionally take time to get to know them and spend time with them. I feel sad for family members who haven't done the same. It is truly their loss.
Happy Birthday, Mom! I pray you to have a blessed day filled with the same joy that you have brought to me and so many others.
