Mother's Day Tribute

I wrote this in 2019. My beautiful pastor at the time asked me to give a presentation to the church on Mother's Day. She read aloud the following on my behalf, as I felt the loss of my Mother-in-law was still too raw.

I could so easily edit & 'improve' my writing, however, as with my creative stories, I choose to leave it unedited, true to the time it was written.

🦋 On this Mother’s Day I feel blessed to have 2 strong women of faith in my life, who I call mum. 

My 1st mum is the eldest of 10 children born to Italian migrants. Her life experiences have both intrigued and inspired me. Growing up, we always had everything we needed, but not everything we wanted. It wasn’t until I was older, that I understood just how poor we were, and how much my amazing parents did for my siblings and I.  Not once did we feel poor. We understood we couldn’t afford everything, but hearing mum talk about times she saved up 5 and 10 cent coins to buy milk and bread, really surprised me, and gave me a greater appreciation for her.

My mum has always been there for me. People have told me I am very much like her - which I don’t take lightly. I feel that if I could be even just half of what she is, I am blessed. People have called her an iron fist in a satin glove. She is loving and kind, but very strong. I often look up to her strength.

She gave birth naturally to fraternal twins, something uncommon these days. Being the eldest of 3, I was often given more responsibility - when I complained, she would say, “You will be blessed”. I began to understand that it was more about reliability. She knew I would be the one to follow through with her requests. She was equipping me for a life of independence. So yes, I was blessed.

My mum was the catalyst for my whole family finding Jesus. Through her life stories, I can see that God has always had a hand on her life. She did the searching and found Jesus – then we followed. He has had his hand of protection on her all through her life.

My mum has such a heart full of love. Growing up, we would often find kids at our house, because they loved our mum. She made them feel valued. She left seeds of love in their hearts, even if she didn’t necessarily like their behavior. Their tender hearts received a love only Jesus could offer, and they found themselves drawn to that through my mum. I’ve lost touch with many of these friends, but even as young adults, they would tell me how much my mum helped them as children, just by loving them when other people rejected them. I felt proud to call her MY mum.

Now, I see her sprinkle those seeds of love in her grandchildren. I love to see the 5 of them all hoping to be the first to hug their nonna. They can’t run fast enough into her arms. I am looking forward to more grandchildren running into her lap – in God’s perfect timing.


My 2nd mum, my mum-in-love, was called home to heaven 14 months ago. This is our 2nd Mothers Day without her. As much as we miss her, we rejoice because there is no doubt she is with Jesus. She lost her battle with Motor Neurone Disease after a triumphant fight.
Just like my 1st mum, my mum-in-love was full of love. Nobody could leave her presence without feeling God’s love. She didn’t give birth to me, but she loved me as if she did, and I loved her in the same way. Unlike my 1st mum, my mum-in-love came from a strong protestant Christian heritage.

I could not have asked for a better 2nd mum. I thanked God for her daily. When others complained about their in-laws, I thanked God for the huge blessing mine was. She was another iron fist in a satin glove. Because she lived in NSW, we mostly talked over the phone or via Skype. We would often text small messages to each other. I loved sharing news with her. She encouraged me in my faith, and life in general. We could talk about the bible and personal things. She understood some of my hardest battles in ways many others couldn’t. She had an amazing strength. Her faith was strong, no matter what was going on around her. When she had every right to complain, she instead sowed seeds of grace and dignity. This is something I often remind myself – when I am inclined to complain, I remember her example. I can’t say I have reached her level, but I try.

She had an amazing sense of humour – which I often see in [my husband]. They had a special bond I loved to see. There is something so precious in seeing your husband and his mum bonding, enjoying each other’s company. There is no doubt she invested in her 2 sons – love, faith and strength. Through my husband, I can see the immense love I felt from my mum-in-love was only a portion of what her sons felt for her during her lifetime. So, even though she wasn’t in my life as long as I’d hoped, she left a huge impact on me and my heart. I feel privileged to call her mum. Again, when people tell me about how much she has impacted their lives, I feel proud to be able to call her mum. 🦋©️