Gloria

Yesterday a friend from our community asked my wife, "how do you feel about your son enlisting?"  There was a brief pause.  It was one of those moments where I didn't know what to do.  I was just standing there thinking, Oh no, is this gonna be another Kleenex moment?  Her words were so eloquent.  Here she was standing in front of our son and me revealing her thoughts about his decision to depart for the army in two weeks.

"I think about Mary and her yes to becoming the Mother of Jesus," she said.  "If Mary could go through what she did and let go of her Son, I can let go of my son.  I know this is what he needs to do and I'm okay with it.  God is with him wherever he goes."  Her answer tickled my heart.  She nailed it.  No Kleenex was needed.  My wife and I both know this is the happiest we've ever seen our youngest son.  He woke up this morning at 5:00 AM to work out at the gym.   He is definitely in the joyful preparation mode.  That's really what this season is all about.

When my wife spoke about Mary, the Mother of Jesus, it made me think about my own mother, Gloria.  I thought about the day I called her and told her I was relocating to the Midwest.  There was something inside me that didn't want to let go.  My friends told me I'd be back in a year.  My mother was encouraging.  "God is with you, don't worry," she said.  My mother is right.  God is with us.  No matter where we are or how far away we may be from our family, Jesus is with us.  Our son always says, "God gets all the glory for everything I do with my life."  In Latin, Gloria means glory.  And the Latin phrase, Gloria in excelsis deo means Glory to God in the highest.  I would like to dedicate the video below to my mother, Gloria, and to all the mothers out there who are following Mary's example of saying yes even when it's a challenge.  Enjoy.