Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Mother (as in maternal parent) (04/24/08)
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TITLE: JULIETTE: NOBLE HEART, GENEROUS HANDS, GODLY SPIRIT | Previous Challenge Entry
By Henrietta W. Romman
04/27/08 -
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One of our Middle Eastern proverbs is this: “Whenever you wish to preserve great
facts for living, teach them to your children.”
Mama has done just this for us, her five children.
As Middle Easterners, our parents lived in North Africa where we were born. We
led a quiet life, fully keeping our culture and traditions: What a glorious reality,
having the most wonderful training a dutiful mother can pass on to her offspring !
It was she who trained us to give thanks to our Lord daily ‘with appreciation.’
“Remember! He is able to read your hearts.”
After those happy years of hope, I discovered how blessed I am! God gave me the most anointed mother: From His heart, to my siblings and I, Hallelujah!
She is called Juliette. From her life, I discovered that true love is a twin of sacrifice.
Through her care, the real meaning of mercy found its way to my heart. Vivid images
flash across my mind, of the selfless, thoughtful person for whom thinking of others came
naturally. She was the best friend of the elderly: A mother tending orphans and a refuge
for all God’s people.
Missionaries and Nuns always had a soft spot in her heart.
“Oh how they would be missing their families,” Mama gently explained when we
questioned her. “You could easily be in their place away from me.”
“You are tied to her apron’s strings,” the neighbors teased me. I was her oldest of
three daughters. The strong bond between us provided deep moral lessons for my own
children in the future. The most important seed she ever planted in my life is the Fear of God…. and His love.
Mama Juliette instilled in me her longsuffering, power of submission to our
heavenly Father till the unchangeable could be changed through prayers in Jesus’ Name..
With my mother’s incredible ability to put herself in the place of others, I inherited these precious gems:
---Do unto others what good you want them to do to you…only do it first.
---Never eat till those around you have had enough for themselves.
---A smile from the heart has a double reward; in hard times it may open closed doors.
--- People may be good until God proves otherwise.
---Our life is too short to waste without Jesus and His blessings.
---How to be a friend, forgiving and selfless.
--- Laughter is contagious; it is a great medicine for pain.
---That there is an art in giving and in sharing. She always said, “The secret lies in NOT
allowing your left hand to KNOW what your right hand gives out”
After I discovered my mother’s secret of weekly bagged provisions for sharing, I
asked, “Mama? How do you know when and where to give?”
I recall her sweet smile as she pointed to her heart and confidently replied,
“Here is where the call comes for a need: To love, to protect, to give or to feed.
Rest assured: sharing delights the heart of Our Lord.”
My mother planted in me the true spirit that stems from silently waiting upon God, long
enough to hear that gentle voice of Jesus speaking from within us.
As for my love for writing: This also is a gift I acquired through her.
She taught me saying, “My child, your feelings are just for you to know. God cares for you. Write a personal letter speaking to Him earnestly. Tell Him your secrets, and anxieties …
Jesus will never repeat them. When your heart is at peace, then thank Him, tear the letter and discard it.”
At the age of thirteen, my wonderful Mother taught me how to keep a Journal.
“Do not ever write anything you would be ashamed of. Journals are treasured
blessings, kept for decades, to remind us of good happy years.”
From her example, I learned how to befriend the grieving and the hurting, to ease their pains.
“All you need to do is to put yourself in their place,” she advised.
Mama Juliette installed a deep truth in me in these words, “Forever remember that a kind
word is of the greatest worth.”
“Father God, she has indeed excelled in leaving priceless imprints in my life. With great rejoicing I can chant, ‘Thank You for inspiring her and for numerous years spent learning from her’. I am patiently waiting, until we both meet again in Your presence…in Eternity. Amen”
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