Silver Linings

In the Gospel of John, Jesus teaches, “As long as you have the light, believe in the light so that you might become people whose lives are determined by the light.” (John 12:36 CEB). In celebration of Mother’s Day this year, we look for the light in every situation. Special thanks to the following mothers of St. Luke’s who share some silver linings they have experienced during the pandemic season.  

As a family, we have experienced many silver linings over the past weeks. Mainly, this time at home has caused us to really slow down and be more intentional in everything we do: from what we spend, to what we eat, to which charities we support, and which projects we tackle. I’m often stretched in many different ways as my girls have different needs at this stage in their development. My husband has a demanding job with hours that change from day to day. Because of his ability to work from home over the past few weeks, he has spent more time with our baby than we could have ever imagined. During the quarantine, we have cooked more as a family and my 5-year-old learned how to ride her bike without training wheels. We’ve been weeding our herb garden, decluttering and enjoying uninterrupted family time. This Mother’s Day, I’m more thankful than ever.
-Helen Shultz, mother of Jillian and Ava

We have been extraordinarily fortunate to be able to work from home – my family is taking care of each other. My spouse and I care for each other by trading off childcare and supporting each other’s needs. My husband makes me lunch every day, bringing it to me between work calls. My kids care for each other by playing and laughing together. Even though this time is hard, I am appreciating the value in the little things. I have witnessed many sweet moments with my kids that I never would have been around for. We’ve been able to enjoy the beautiful weather. ​I cherish brief conversations with neighbors and friends. I’ve reconnected with some old friends. I hope that I don’t take these things for granted when “normal” returns.
-Taylor Martin, mother of Bennett and Blakely

We’ve spent part of this quarantine with my family in Baton Rouge. We originally came because Whitney and I realized early on that we needed help with Mary Holland while we both continued to work full time.  But we quickly realized the best part of being in Louisiana wasn’t the “free childcare”… it’s the time that Mary Holland has gotten to spend with my parents and sister. We don’t live in the same city as them, and I’ve always mourned that Mary Holland hasn’t gotten to spend a lot of time with them doing normal, day-to-day stuff like taking walks and making dinner. Watching their relationships deepen and blossom has been such a gift and reminded me of what a great mom I have had the privilege of having (and has inspired me to strive to be just like that for Mary Holland)!
-Rev. Katie Montgomery Mears, mother of Mary Holland

I’m feeling incredibly blessed by this time with my four young children and husband. My kids are each other’s playmates all day every day, and as I watch them, I’m struck by the strong bonds they are building. I’m also aware that I will never again have such concentrated time with them, especially with my older boys. That is a gift. There are no competing priorities for any of us. There is nowhere to be BUT to be together. Family dinners, bike rides, picnics, and a shared experience none of us will forget. My family will emerge stronger and more connected than we were when this began, and for that I am grateful!
-Cindy Donaldson, mother of Michael, Will, Maddie, and Lizzie

In March, our Tuesday Moms’ Bible study was in the middle of reading Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver. As a mom of three elementary school-aged children, I always feel like a Martha. The silver-lining of this pandemic for our family is that we have all been asked to be Mary and just be with each other. Over the past few weeks we have made all the crafts, cooked, baked, ridden bikes, played games, watched movies, and had dinner together every night. We take turns drawing names for which family member gets to choose our after dinner activities until bedtime. I thought I knew our kids pretty well before all of this, but my understanding of their personalities and gifts has grown more during this time period than I possibly could have imagined. I get it now. This time together is a gift that I didn’t ask for or see coming, but it is a gift nonetheless. When the world starts opening up again, I don’t want to go back to being a full-time Martha. I have Mary standards now.
-Amanda Sorena, mother of Sophia, Michael, and Angelina

We have had to slow down and take a break from our everyday lives and in doing so we have found each other. My husband who normally travels every week is suddenly home and able to enjoy picnic lunches with us, to play catch with the kids and to catch up on emails while watching the kids swim. My most favorite part has been our Friday Field Trips. We are exploring like never before! I have loved each and every adventure we have gone on – from picking strawberries to “hiking” the Stephen F. Austin State Park. There are still moments that are hard and difficult and where we yearn for our old normal, but I am finding myself more and more not wanting to go completely back to that old normal, but instead to figure out how to keep what we have found so precious during this time.
-Erin Naman, mother of Riley and Will

I actually went through some of the stages of grief in mid-March. Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Finally, Acceptance. Looking back, I can see how this season gave us quality family time. No school meant sleeping in and 3 family meals. No evening swim practice meant family game night or movie night. My husband working from home meant he did not have to sit in traffic every afternoon, so we went on family bike rides. My house is much cleaner, and I am staying on top of the laundry. A real miracle right there. The most wonderful silver lining has been experiencing the presence of God in all of it. This was the best Lenten season my soul has ever had. What did I have to give up for Lent? Busyness.
-Louise McEvoy, mother of Abbilyn, Charlee, and Piper

“Pick a number from 1-512,” she would say every morning on the phone. I’d pick a number and my Mom would read me that day’s message from Life’s Little instruction Book-Christmas Edition. Even at 36 I looked forward to this game. Hearing my mom’s voice would fill my heart (and often my eyes with tears) so that I could make it just ONE MORE DAY. You see, I was on bed rest with my second daughter in a city 4 hours from my home and husband. Although I was away from my mother, she still managed to reach out and encouraged me to focus on the positive. She truly believed that we were going to be okay. This memory has played over and over in my mind because this Covid-19 situation will not stay like this forever. We WILL get back to life…maybe not in 2 months, but one day we WILL connect again in person. For now, reaching out in other ways IS possible and is SO meaningful, I know this because “My mother showed me so!”
-Diane Bartley, mother of Alexis and Jenna

The kids are making a lot of music at home – singing, playing piano, ukulele, drums – and it has been amazing. Most importantly though, this period has given us a chance to talk about our choices and values as a family. We see families around us handling this in many different ways and making many different choices. It’s clear our kids wish at times our rules were more like “their” rules. Jerry and I always of course try to “lead by example” when it comes to values, but we’ve never really talked about this as a whole family – and it has been eye opening and has made me so proud of my kids – that they get it and are on board to sticking with this together as a family – while trying our hardest to respect, or at the very least accept, the choices that others are making. And to say a quick prayer if we’re worried about a choice someone else has made. The mantra I started at the very beginning – before we really knew just how hard this was going to be – is TOGETHER WE CAN DO HARD THINGS.
-Tina Throckmorton, mother of Tessa and Wyatt

The opportunity to be with my kiddos day in and day out without schedules and lessons and carpools and practices and traffic and all of the things for such an extended time has been such a blessing. I’m not saying I haven’t regularly hidden in my bathroom from them – because I totally have! I can’t help but realize, though, how quickly the days with them in the house are passing. They’re growing up so quickly and will be leaving the nest before I know it, so I’m grateful for this time. I’m looking forward to getting back to normal, but we’re going to try hard to hold on to a bit of the “Corona” pace when that time comes!
-Megan Gray, mother of Kirby, William, and Maggie

In our family, COVID has given us space to connect with friends and family in novel ways, to connect with God on a more regular basis, and to connect with the beauty of God’s nature. It has offered us an opportunity to spend more time together, and with a tween and teenager, we are grateful for the extra time as the fleeting years of childhood will quickly pass.  We have had opportunities to support the CCSC food drive and the ministries of St. Luke’s and Gethsemane. On a macro level, we are overjoyed that Mother Earth is getting a much-needed reprieve. It is my prayer that my children will look back on this difficult time and find the beauty, calm, and joy that this global pause has created.
-Jennifer Hansen, mother of Zachary and Alex

In my almost 18 years as a mother, we have never spent this much time together and I LOVE it! With my oldest finishing her junior year, I recognize this forced slow-down has been a gift. I was fortunate to celebrate my birthday in quarantine and for once, I wasn’t driving all afternoon for kid’s activities. Instead, my children spoiled me and created a spa day, special dinner and movie in bed. They even let me reminisce and read my favorite picture book from when they were little. I have to admit that this quiet birthday with all 6 of us under one roof was my favorite birthday yet. I am truly cherishing these days together and love the exceptional weather we have had. I always feel closest to God when I can feel the sun on my skin and hear the trees rustling in the wind. Our turquoise backyard chairs are now in the front yard and we have spent countless hours outside enjoying peaceful evenings and creating tighter bonds will all of our neighbors.
-Nicole De Los Santos, mother of Elle, Emma, Jace, and Brinley

Empty Nest Interrupted – While I’m saddened that their freshman and junior years in college have been interrupted (temporarily, I hope), I am grateful for this time with both my baby birds back in the nest. I’ve enjoyed the movie nights, the TikTok dance routines, and their assorted homemade baked goods (I’ll diet later). I’ve shown them off during Zoom calls with my co-workers and have likewise been shown off during one daughter’s Zoom call with hers. It’s a peculiar and wonderful thing for a mother and her two adult daughters to be sheltered-in-place under one roof while attempting to carry on with their lives that pre-pandemic occurred in three different states. I pray for discernment for our leaders and that the outside world returns easily and safely back to a new and better “normal,” but in the meantime I’m going to see if my daughters will teach me to TikTok.
-Cassandra McZeal, mother of Maddie and Lena

The silver lining in this pandemic for me as a mom has been the opportunity to spend time taking long walks with my 24-year-old daughter, Audrey.  We rarely get time to take such leisurely, uninterrupted walks.  On those walks, we’ve reminisced about elementary school days, Girl Scout field trips, childhood birthday parties, family vacations, and summer days by the pool. While none of these memories are particularly extraordinary on merit, the process of revisiting them together has drawn us closer.  I suspect this is how our Heavenly Father feels when we spend uninterrupted time, within ordinary days, in intimate conversation with Him.  I am grateful for a God who never leaves, who is always ready to listen, and who cares about every little detail of our lives, including the details of being a mom.
-Jo Beth Hawkins, mother of Audrey and Weston

My daughter Meredith got engaged during quarantine! Five days later, Meredith and Aaron got married during quarantine! God has flooded us with His goodness and grace. What is good? My daughter’s happiness. My fabulous son-in law. Bruce walking Meredith down the “aisle.”  A Zoom ceremony. Houston friends decorating their cars for a wedding parade. The couple at grandmother’s high-rise parking lot, sharing the celebration with her on her balcony. Where is grace? In finding the clerk’s office open for a marriage license. In letting all our family members (not more than 10!) make their own decisions about how to celebrate. In meeting Meredith’s new in-laws for the first time on Zoom. In not having time to have a mother-daughter fight over the arrangements! In vivid blue skies, birds and mild temperatures. God is good. Miraculous!
–Martha Jamison, mother of Matt, Sam, and Meredith

The “time out” that has been imposed on us by the Corona virus has been filled with unexpected blessings. The” time in” to simply enjoy being with my family has been such a gift, the silver lining in a very dark cloud. Daily walks with my granddaughters will be something I will long remember and cherish. I have made it a point to focus on their little hands in mine, to share in their excitement upon spotting a red-headed woodpecker in a front yard tree, scurrying squirrels, darting lizards, and fluttering butterflies. I have been amazed to watch my two older granddaughters, as they have patiently and lovingly played with their little cousins. The little ones can barely contain their delight, as the older ones walk through the door! I am so thankful for the love they share and the bond they feel. On this Mothers’ Day I celebrate all of them, their lives, and the silver lining that God always promises to us!!!
-Linda Evans, mother of Rob, Will, and Liz