EASTER AT MOTHER’S BEDSIDE

by Mariane Holbrook 

What are you trying to teach me, dear Lord, 
As I watch Mother twisting in pain? 
I want to learn all that I should from this, Lord, 
So her suffering will not be in vain. 

Don’t let this experience be wasted on me; 
Teach me all about patience and grace. 
I sit here beside her and ponder what caused 
All the lines etched so deep in her face. 

Have You kept her on earth til
her sons were brought in? 
Are her prayers for her boys being heard? 
She has fasted and prayed and is trusting you. Lord, 
That the needs of their souls will be stirred. 

Are You keeping her here so she’ll pray for her girls 
As they’re coping with all life’s demands? 
Are her prayers still important for grandchildren, too, 
In the states and in far, foreign lands? 

Sometimes it is hard to discover Your will 
But for Mother, I haven’t a doubt 
That some morning You’ll tell her,
“My child, that’s enough.”
 
And quietly lead Mother out.