A Pillar of Strength

Friday night, I walked into Chandler's room to say goodnight. He was picking out a book to read. I melted into a millions pieces when I realized he was choosing the Bible.

He has a copy from our Pastor in Chandler, AZ who gave it as a gift during his confirmation into baptism. She also would have guided Chandler with his baptism, but the move interrupted that event.

He admitted the hardest part of reading the Bible is the small print. I was honored to pass on Grandpa Acker's large print Bible which I acquired after my mother's death in 2006. She gave it to him in 1989 and he passed it onto her in 1998 when he passed away.

It has many papers holding pages and reading places of those passed. The one paper that stood out the most is the following:

'Dear God, Heavenly Father, All of the praying I do, the asking, the thanking, well, I realized I've never really thanked you fully for the gift of life. Of all the women you could have sent me to, I'm so thankful you chose my mother. When I was young , she was my source of comfort, companionship, a pillar of strength and of great beauty. Now that I'm grown with children of my own, I still look to her for all those things and more, and she's always there--you are always there in her eyes. So tonight my prayer is simple. I ask that you please fill her heart with the overwhelming love I feel for her in mine.'

My sister Suzanne gave this to my mother (not sure of the year) and my mother gave it to her mother on her 80th birthday, which would be 1994 I believe. It is so beautiful and hopefully it fills your heart with the remembrance of how much you care for your mother or father.