We were receiving family and friends after our mom's death when Tom* rushed toward me across the parlor of Lemley's Funeral Home.
“Randall,” he said, “you heard about my wife's death six weeks ago?” Not waiting for my response, he plunged ahead: “Well, when I was here arranging for her funeral, it hurt so bad I promised myself I'd never set foot in this place again. But when I heard about Miss Edith, I had to come. I have something to tell you.”
Miss Edith was my mother. Decades earlier, Tom and I had been high school friends. And Mom had been our English teacher. Tom and I found a quiet corner where he could tell me his story. A few weeks after his wife's death, Tom had been at his lowest point, not wanting to go on living. Then he got a letter from Mom. The love and encouragement he drew from her words had given him hope.
Tom's story was my first clue to just how much Mom's words had touched the lives of others. The right word at the right time is “like apples of gold in settings of silver” according to Proverbs 25:11. I knew Mom had a passion for beautiful poetry, a respect for the power of a stirring essay.
Clearly, she also had a gift for finding just the right word in a timely manner. We discovered she'd been doing precisely that, even in retirement. She had been faithfully using her love and command of language to write a few well-chosen words and send a touch of God's love to others in need.
At the end of our emotional evening at the funeral home, family members — Dad with his children and grandchildren — were walking to our cars when we were startled by a young woman running toward us from across the parking lot. It was Emily,* another of our mother's former students.
“Oh, I'm so glad I caught you!” she said breathlessly. “I learned just minutes ago of Miss Edith's death, and I had to talk to some of her family.” Emily went on to explain that she was going through a divorce, and at times the stress had been almost unbearable. Mom knew about her troubled journey — and guess what. Yes, on one of Emily's lowest days, she had received Mom's note of love and encouragement.
We were a little surprised by the developing pattern. Our mother was a quiet woman, and we hadn't known of her ministry of letters. Her demeanor was usually serious. Some thought her stern or aloof. But her heart was softer than casual acquaintances would ever have known.
Years of studying the Bible and the classics of literature had given her great wisdom and insight. When she did speak, she chose her words carefully. She spoke quietly and concisely. Yet, no matter where she was — classroom, kitchen, beauty shop or Sunday school — her calm voice commanded attention and respect. The same was true, I'm sure, of every note she ever wrote to friends who were hurting.
An unassuming simplicity permeated her writing style. She enjoyed composing poetry — usually quatrains, short rhymes reflecting her relationship to God, or her love for His creation and His people. I don't know if it's true, but I imagine she included some of her quatrains in the letters she wrote.
Her sudden death had left us in shock. In our grief, we forgot all about any other events on the family calendar. Then, the next morning, my sister, Gail, and her husband found in their mailbox an envelope addressed in Mom's neat hand. It was a card to honor their wedding anniversary. How fitting that Mom's last letter of love would be to her only daughter, written and dropped in the post office just before her fatal heart attack.
We will never know how many Toms and Emilys drew courage and hope from our mother's words. But one thing is clear — God used this quiet, humble lady to minister to those in need with the right word at the right time.
Nowadays, many years after her death, I sometimes rummage through boxes and drawers and closets, digging out and reading again some of Mom's cards and letters. They are priceless treasures, a fragrant remembrance of her godly life. A testimony to the power of well-chosen words. And a challenge to follow in her footsteps.
*Names have been changed
Randall Murphree is editor of AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association. You may reach him through e-mail at [email protected].
(This article courtesy of Agape Press.)
