The lost of a Mother, no matter at what age, is always difficult. On February 14, 1997, I lost my birth Mother, Bertha Ann Jones Vaughn Pinder, who struggled for over 25 years to overcome Multiple Sclerosis MS), but succumbed within two years to Lupus. Her death on Valentine's Day ultimately put a whole different perspective for me regarding this day that celebrates love.
And although God knew my needs early on and blessed me with the love and care of a Step Mother who raised me from the age of four with my father (until his untimely death in 1987) and blessed me with an incredible baby sister, God saw fit to place in my life - when I needed them most - a whole host of Mentors, Mother figures, Aunts, and God Mommies who took the time to shower me with love, care, and direction. Still, there was no one who could take the place or love me like my Mother. Her death on Valentine's Day, ultimately, provided me with an entirely different perspective for this day that celebrates love.
On this day, I choose to remember my Mother - Bertha Ann Jones Vaughn Pinder. I remember her courage. I remember her pain. I remember her triumph, and I remember how much she loved her babies, Sherri, Angie, Gina, and me. We were all appropriately nick-named "Bertha's Babies." My mother was a very special person with a smile that could ignite your heart. She embedded in my sisters and me a deep faith and love for God. Her legacy of faith and love provided an excellent example of what this day is all about!
"I am a light of love to the world."
God loves me, and because I am an active participant in a divine heritage of love, I feel great joy in sharing that love with others who are a part of my life.
I am a light of love to the world.
Being a light of love to the world is an honor, and I treat it accordingly. Like all humankind, I have been chosen to play a loving role in the lives of everyone I meet, and I joyfully fulfill my divine purpose by being a living, breathing expression of God's love.
I am a light of love to the world.
In my relationships, I express love and understanding. When I am exploring the world of nature, I act responsibly and lovingly toward all of God's creatures.
I am a light of love to the world.
"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers...nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God." -Romans 8:38-39
*The bolded and itilacized text was excerpted from the February 14, 1997 copy of the "Daily Word"*
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