Mother's Day Tribute to a Warrior of a Woman

I decided to write this on Mother's Day because I thought it to be the most appropriate. I believe that I grew up in a family that would be identified as warriors in this time and age. We do hard things and we don’t give up when times are tough. It seems that people always mention my dad’s side of the family being warriors because there are so many more than my mom always had. I have always seen that my dad’s side as having more visible ways of showing our warrior qualities but not intentionally because that’s how we all grew up. We learned to have integrity, be respectful, rise above any challenge, and love the Lord in all we do. When I think of a warrior, my first thought is always my mom. She is what I call a “silent warrior.” She is shy and very soft-spoken who loves to serve and be there for you when you need someone to talk to, but she has this silent strength that not many people see in her.

I know that Mother’s Day is one of the happiest and saddest days for my mom. It is one of the happiest days because she has three children who she adores. But, also the saddest because she hasn’t gotten to spend this day with her own mother for the past 31 years. I see the picture of my maternal grandmother, who I have never met, every year that she shares on Facebook wishing her a Happy Mother’s Day. I can’t imagine life without my mom so I can’t imagine how she feels on Mother’s Day. My heart aches for her.

My mom has so much strength she hides through her quiet and loving personality that people don’t realize what a warrior she truly is. Over the years, I have heard her testimony in different snippets of my life. I am in awe of the love and trust she has for the Lord despite everything she’s been through her entire life. I have been through some difficult things in my life, but when I see my mother or think about her, I realize that she has been through much more difficult circumstances and still follows the Lord faithfully today. She is one of my heroes that I look up to in life.

I am not at liberty to tell her testimony, but I would love to be by her side when she shares it with others because despite all she has been through she is the kindest most giving person you can meet. I know that my mother started to really learn how to be strong, courageous, and love the Lord with all her heart through the short 16 years my mother got to spend with her mother. My maternal grandmother had such an impact on her life that my mom had decided that her first daughter would be named after her mother, which is the reason why my name is Marilyn. Sometimes I think about how much weight my name carries to my family, especially to my mother, so I try to carry it with as much integrity, respect, perseverance, and love for the Lord that both my mother and maternal grandmother have. It is extremely humbling that I was given such a name of high importance for someone who is very close to me. I would have loved to meet and get to know my mother’s mother, but I know this life is temporary and there is something so much greater waiting for me where both my mother and grandmother will be waiting for me with open arms.

My mom around 7 or 8 with her mother, Marilyn, and grandmother, Marion.

One of the many things in common that my mom and I enjoy is playing the violin. This was after one of my high school string concerts.

It always seems that my mom is the happiest when she has a little baby in her arms. This picture is when my little sister was a newborn, which is one of my favorite pictures of my mother.