Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master you are serving is Christ. --Colossians 3: 23-24
This past year I had an e-mail from an old friend who mentioned that she remembered the Halloween costumes I wore in grade school. This friend literally grew up and joined the circus, so she knows something about costumes! The fact that she remembered my costumes from all those years ago was quite flattering. But the compliment was really for my Mom. Joan Gardner would never have let one of her children leave the house for Trick or Treat in a store-bought costume! All costumes my brothers and I ever wore were meticulously made by hand. Likewise, should you ever see my Mother show up at a covered-dish dinner with something from the grocery store deli, repent and say your prayers because the end of the world is near!
I was fortunate to have a Mother who came from that generation of woman who believed: if you're going to do something, do it right! That attitude showed in everything my Mother did. Especially when it came to her "church work." She wasn't one who just showed up for a couple of hours on Sunday mornings. When she taught Sunday School or Bible School, she'd spend all the time necessary to make sure her lessons and crafts were just right. If I had a nickle for every hour she spent in the church kitchen, I could retire! Her church work branched out; she volunteered for Christian Associates, the downtown churches food and clothing pantry. She didn't stop at a couple of hours a week, but often went in early and stayed late to sort clothes and make sure the Size 10's were not mixed in with the Size 12's. Today, at almost 80, she's the "Iced Tea Lady" at Common Grounds.
If you spend more than ten minutes with my Mom, you'll hear something about her church, her spiritual and social hub. It is the central part of her life. Participating in worship on Sunday mornings, taking her famous meat loaf to someone who's experienced a death in their family, or picking up friends for Young at Heart, she serves the Lord constantly and humbly. What a wonderful example!Charm is deceptive and beauty does not last: but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.
--Proverbs 31: 30-31 Anita Gardner Farrell
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