Tomorrow will be the first Mother’s Day since my mom passed from this earthly life this past December. It is easy to become super maudlin at a time such as this.  I would not and do not fault those who do. However, I choose to do otherwise. Yes, it is my first Mother’s Day without my Mom—and all is well. Lest you think me insensitive or cold-hearted, let me explain by giving three reasons I feel the way I do.

1. My Mom was awarded the prize that all true followers of Jesus desire. I Corinthians 15:19 says, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” One of my fondest memories is that of my mother going about the house singing. Amazing Grace, Blessed Assurance, Near the Cross, and Oh, How I Love Jesus are among many songs she sang that pointed to the hope she had of an eternity with Christ. That hope has come to fruition and this Mother’s Day I rejoice in that.
2. My Mom began leaving us long before the finality of her death.The ravages of Alzheimer’s took its toll for quite a few years. Amongst many other losses of remembrance, the names of great-grandchildren, then the grandchildren, and then the children escaped her ability to recall. In fact, the last two years of her life she thought I was one of her brothers (deceased) rather than her son. That darkness of mind is no longer an issue for her. It seems rather cruel and selfish were I to wish her here after escaping such a debilitating condition.
3. Death is a part of life.It was not meant to be so. Death is an interloper. In the Christian belief, the fall of Adam brought about a number of negative consequences, not the least of which was death of the body. Though we often try to ignore, delay, or avoid it, death is real and visits everyone. An Army Chaplain in Dau Tieng, Vietnam, speaking at a memorial service for a friend of mine killed in action said, “Tragedy lies not in dying but in living a fruitless life.” My Mom lived into her ninetieth year and her life was anything but fruitless. Death, notwithstanding its accompanying sorrow, is a natural progression in life.  For the follower of Jesus, it is a victorious progression. As I Corinthians 15:54 puts it, “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’” I take great comfort in knowing my Mom is experiencing victory over death through Jesus, her Lord.

So, on my first Mother’s Day without my Mom, all is indeed well. Sure, I miss her. However, this is no time for despair or melancholy.  It is a time for celebration for she is in the presence of Jesus.