Mother's Day-- a new way

4:51 p.m. Today's project was to enjoy the fun of Mother's Day without worrying about keeping traditions, a real first for me.

I was just recalling Mother's Day 2011, and my worry about Steve giving me a card, even if I would be the one helping him to select it and then pay for it. It's all coming back to me now. We were standing in a long line at the Post Office at Pierce and Hole Streets in the La Sierra area of Riverside, with my proofed copy of Galatians: An Exploration of Faith & Freedom in order to mail it to my editor at Tate Publishing. In the corner by the packaging materials, I spotted a revolving rack with Mother's Day cards on it. I asked Steve to go to the rack and pick out a card for me, like he had independently done in 2010 at a Vons grocery store. Just before Steve walked over, a father in line urged his 3 year-old boy to select a card for his mother, and the little boy went right over and got one, envelope included. It was very cute.

Steve walked over after repeated urgings, and started fingering various cards, in complete indecision and confusion, and came back with the separator between the cards and an envelope. I slipped out of line, put the separator back and handed him a "To My Wife" card to go with the envelope. Little did I know that it would be the last Mother's Day card he would ever get for me!

And little do I care this year. Funny, but a card from Steve is the last thing on my mind, now that he can hardly walk and can't talk, eat unassisted, dress or care for himself.

8:38 p.m. I just came in from dinner at P.F. Chang's with my daughters, a great time of sharing in God's word, funny family anecdotes, and very delicious food. And above is my requested Mother's Day gift--a garden hose for the front yard!! Thus goes the stripped-down life.

Jesus said in Luke 12:15,

Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he posseses.

For me, the stripped-down life has been a very blessed life!