We had come from out of town to ascend & lay eyes on the much spoken of Angel’s Landing in Zion. Marcello and I had each invited a girl; he a proper & petite gal named Rebecca & I the great & gregarious (and previous) Kate Nichols. We stayed at my mother & step father’s place in Hurricane while down there. It was to be the girls’ first encounter with my mother, but not one easily forgotten.
The first morning there we woke up and decided to read scriptures together. It was a good study, complete with heartfelt insights. My mother came in and Marcello invited her to join our little morning devotional, and I’m glad he did. I have a feeling the glad was enjoyed by all.
Kneeling around a meticulously kept, five-sheeted, raised bed with decorative pillows in the guest room, we closed our study with prayer. No sooner had we raised our heads from addressing the God of the universe when my mother said she was reminded of a story, or rather a quote, she had heard earlier that week, in church I believe it was.
The thought came to her as if by revelation, or at the very least inspiration. So there, on the tail end of our spiritually edifying meeting, perched on the edge of the bed, we all leaned forward to pay particular attention to words this wise sage of a woman was about to speak.
She spoken slowly to make sure she got them correct, “Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan says “Oh sh**! She’s awake!”
…wide-eyed and with a slight smile cracking on each of our faces at the prayer bedside we froze to assess. There in that split second of stillness we each considered what was said, evaluated the effects that laughter would have on our souls and apparently all decided that sometimes (at the very least, this time) cussing for God is an appropriate manifestation of one’s devotion to him who created our spirits and gave us life.
We filled the room with hearty amusement and punctuated our morning with a rare glimpse into the dedication of my mother to her Heavenly Father. I guess John Mayer summed it up best in one of my favorite songs, “Say what you need to say.” Ha!
I love you Ma! Thanks for making me smile, one thing I’m not sure I could live without.