Yesterday I went to “Muffins With Mommy” at my son’s mother’s day out. We got to sit at his little table in the little chairs and eat little muffins together. We watched a video of the kids playing on the playground. They were having a blast going down the slide with their teacher. When I picked him up in the afternoon, I was given a gift bag that Jackson had made me for Mother’s Day. I’m saving it for Sunday. Even if there’s just a used Band-aid (as long as it’s his) or a banana peel inside, I will love it. The bag alone is enough. Jackson’s little hand print decorates the front and I couldn’t help but kiss it. I was overwhelmed with the joy of motherhood. Drunk on younguns – my youngun – as my mama always said.

We will spend this weekend celebrating the women who have poured out their lives to provide for us in every way. We will send flowers, buy gifts, write heartfelt I love yous on greeting cards, and go to brunch. We will try to communicate our gratefulness and find that words just aren’t enough. But our meager attempts sure do mean a lot to Mom. We will not forget to honor the women who didn’t birth us, but who have loved us like their own. Women who, like my mama always said about herself, could mother a fence post.

To celebrate Mother’s Day LPM blog-style, let’s hear what your mama always said.

This weekend my little sister graduated from Wheaton College with her Master’s Degree in Biblical Exegesis. She worked unbelievably hard for the past two years to accomplish this goal. We are so proud!

Mom, Dad and I flew up to Wheaton to be with her for the big weekend. It was the Original Four Moores for the first time in quite a while. Dad treated us to a celebratory dinner at a French restaurant called Suzette’s where we enjoyed a five course meal and live jazz music. We were in food heaven with every kind of crepe you can think of. I don’t have any pictures because I was too busy with my fondue, salad, vegetable chowder, chicken crepes, and bananas foster to bother with it!

It was my first time to visit Melissa in Wheaton and I had so much fun seeing her campus, staying in her cute apartment, meeting her friends, and seeing the professors she loved so much. A few of her professors even wrote commentaries that our mom uses when she researches for her conferences and Bible studies. Melissa has had the privilege of studying under some of the world’s most incredible Bible scholars while at Wheaton.

When Melissa came walking down the aisle with all the other graduates, our hearts overflowed with joy. She flashed us a sassy smile and we said to each other, “That’s our girl!” When she took her seat next to her classmates all I could do was cry. My sister had earned a Master’s Degree. From an incredibly hard program. And what a spectacular person she is. She’s beautiful, brilliant, hilarious, outgoing, godly, and a friend to anyone – especially the friendless. Daughter, sister, prom queen, varsity athlete, sorority girl, fasionista, and now scholar. Melissa, I don’t even have the words to describe how proud I am of you. You might be the most unique person God ever made. I can’t wait to see how God will use everything you’ve learned during your time at Wheaton. I know He has great things in store!

Our beloved Travis Cottrell won a Dove Award last night for his musical Everything Glorious. Congratulations, Travis! We’re all so proud of you! We’re also very proud that a country boy from North Carolina rose to the challenge of presenting a Spanish language award. You are indeed multi-talented!

God is good, ladies. Let me tell you a few of the wonderful things the Lord did for our family over the last few days.

Exhibit A: Every single one of my mom’s brothers and sisters was able to be in Houston for the funeral and all of my cousins were there except for one. It had been 9 years since we were all together and you can imagine how wonderful the reunion was. Family members from Tennessee, Georgia, Ohio, Nevada, Arkansas, and California were able to join us. My sister, who is in the middle of writing her final papers for her Master’s degree, was able to come for 24 hours. It was such a joy and an answer to prayer.

Exhibit B: My grandfather was a retired Army major and was buried in the veterans section of the cemetery. During the planning, it looked like certain elements of a military burial were not going to work out, but God provided every single thing we hoped for. Each part was incredibly moving – from when the color guard saluted the flag-draped casket when it arrived by car to the cemetery, all the way up to the moment the folded flag was handed to Madelyn and she was thanked for her loved one’s service.

Exhibit C: The funeral service was a perfect mix of laughter, tears, spiritual emphasis, and sharing the personal side of who my grandpa was. My Uncle Wayne, who is a virtuoso pianist, played “I Come to the Garden Alone.” It was so meaningful for all of us. We were also very moved by how many people came to show their love for Daddaw and Madelyn.

Exhibit D: My mom was supposed to be in the Dallas area on Tuesday for a taping at Life Today. When Tuesday ended up being the day of the funeral, she thought she was going to have to cancel. Praise God, we were wrong about the date and the taping was actually on Wednesday! She has been at the studio today taping an interview with James and Betty Robison about Get Out of That Pit. She had a lot of trouble getting out of Houston because of the weather, but God opened up the sky for her plane.

Exhibit E: My Aunt Sassy (again with the nicknames!) brought me a picture of Daddaw with Thumper! We’re working on getting it scanned so that I can post it on the blog.

Exhibit F: I saved one of the best ones for last. When Madelyn was going through my grandpa’s desk drawer, she found a love note from my grandpa that she had never seen before. He had written it for her to see upon his death and it included a poem describing how she had been the love of his life. Could they have been any sweeter or any more in love? Wow.

There are many more things I could have listed. I believe we got an extra helping of God’s comfort and kindness because of your prayers. Thank you so much.

What I’d like to hear from you is one way that God has blatantly answered your prayers this week. If we can keep them relatively concise it will help me keep up with moderating the comments. Y’all are so awesome! I can’t wait to hear them!

With a tender heart I sit here thinking of a way to write this next sentence. The Lord welcomed home one of His good and faithful servants today – my grandfather and my mom’s father, Al Green. He suffered a massive stroke yesterday and died peacefully this morning with his precious bride and my aunt Gay by his side. Family members from all over the country are making their way home to say goodbye. Please pray for us as we spend the next few days together to cry, to say goodbye, and also to celebrate a life very well lived. Please especially remember his wonderful wife Madelyn in your prayers. They have spent the last eight years together fiercely in love and having great adventures.

Curtis asked me about some of my favorite memories of my grandpa and I’d like to share my answers with you. I’ll just go ahead and tell you right now that I call him Daddaw. I know it’s weird, but it was my first word. Okay, now I can get started. When I was a little girl, Nanny and Daddaw had a big backyard with a huge vegetable and flower garden. Somehow Daddaw managed to build a relationship with a swamp rabbit who regularly visited their garden to nibble on Nanny’s plants. He would go on the back porch and whistle and call out, “Thumper!” Sure enough that big ole bunny would come bouncing into the back yard. He would even let Daddaw hold him and feed him carrots. As an animal lover, watching that happen was one of the thrills of my childhood.

My very favorite memory was from the time Daddaw let me tag along with him to a soup kitchen. My dad had killed an elk that year and our freezer was full of more meat than we could ever eat. We loaded the meat into the car and took it to a place where Daddaw regularly served called Loaves and Fishes. It was such a neat experience to feed the homeless with my grandfather. I loved seeing him serve so selflessly and diligently. I will never forget how the other men treated him with so much affection and respect. I knew he was a big part of their ministry. I got the same feeling yesterday when I sat in his hospital room and visitors were streaming in and out to love on him and Madelyn. They are both so well loved.

The thing I will take most from my grandfather’s legacy is that you never retire from serving the Lord. He served with all his might until the end of his life. He was always willing to take any opportunity the Lord presented. That is something I would like to keep in my heart and remember. One day, God-willing, when Curt and I are old and gray and the only expectation the world has of us is to retire and do whatever we please, I want to remember my grandfather’s example. I want to be completely poured out on my last day.

Thank You, Lord, for giving me the chance to know my Daddaw. Thank You for the souls he fought for and the blood he shed in World War II and Korea, for the family he raised, for the church members he loved, and for the underprivileged he served. And thank you for all the memories.

“But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant. Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me” (Psalm 86:15-17).

Shocked. Baffled. Sickened. Overwhelmed. Horrified. Saddened. We are all grieving over the Virginia Tech massacre – not only the worst campus shooting, but THE worst shooting in United States history.

We have been on our faces crying out to God over today’s events. We, along with all of you, are praying for everyone affected. May Jesus Himself be their peace and comfort. Lord, have mercy.

In case you don’t have your secret decoder ring nearby, here’s the key to those abbreviations:
PDLAM – Please don’t laugh at me
DSFX – Divine special effects