"This is the message you
have heard from the beginning: We should love one
another." (1 John 3:11 NLT)
It was a late Winter’s
day. I was 25 years old and at the one place I
never wanted to be. I was sitting in a
hospital by my dying Mom’s bedside. For 4 long
years she had bravely battled the cancer that slowly
weakened and destroyed her body. She never
gave up hope. She never stopped trying.
And she never stopped loving. Through that
time I felt myself grow closer to her than at
anytime in my childhood. I prayed for more
time but it was clear now that I wasn’t going to get
any. I leaned over, took her hand in mine, and
talked to her while we waited for the rest of the
family to arrive. I could feel her life
slipping away and part of my heart was dying with
her. Even though she was in horrible pain she
held on until the rest of the family arrived so we
could all say our goodbyes. As she took her
last breaths my eyes filled with tears, my heart
filled with pain, and I didn’t know how I could go
on without her.
After her death my own
health broke. I developed double pneumonia
after her funeral. It took a long time for my
body to recover and even longer for my heart to
start to heal. I think a part of me is still
grieving and healing even today. One thing
that kept me going was my children and knowing a new
child was on his way.
It was nine months later
and I was in the hospital again. My wife had
just had a C-section and I was looking down at our
new baby boy. The nurses had said it was a
shame he hadn’t been born a girl because his
eyelashes were so long and his face so beautiful.
While my wife rested I held him in my arms and
gently rocked him. I stroked his little hand
with my finger and felt a wave of joy wash over me
when he grabbed it and held on tight. Part of
me was sorry that he would never get to know his
grandma, but I vowed that he would feel her love
through me. I vowed to shower him with kind
words, countless hugs, and all the love that my Mom
had given me.
Lacordaire wrote: "Love is
the beginning, the middle, and the end of
every-thing." We should seize every second
then to give it, receive it, and share it with
everyone we can. We should shower our
families, friends, and communities with our love.
We should use it to help God build a better world
for us all. We should carry it in our souls as
we walk through this life and into the next.
That is what my Mom did and that is what I am
striving to do as well.
Joseph J. Mazzella
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.