It may not be TRUTH BOMB Tuesday, but for me, this series has come full circle to find its completion on Mother’s Day.  I started this series with my mom going through her journey with Alzheimer’s and the lessons that God clearly taught me and walked me through. Last Mother’s Day 2025, I found it too painful to go through while writing my blog each week.

Mere words seemed empty and to pale in comparison to what my family and I were going through. We were losing our precious mom. She had been put on hospice and we knew her days here on earth were few with us. The full realization of what that truly meant was impossible to comprehend and far too painful to realize.

   But as I face this Mother’s Day of 2026, my first Mother’s Day without my mom on this earth, God has graciously taught me the greatest lesson of all.

Your heart can be breaking while simultaneously God can be repairing, restoring, and making it stronger than ever. 

    Losing our mom meant losing the strongest force and example of unconditional love. My mother embodied what the Bible calls unconditional love. Love that never fails. Love that gives without holding back. Love that acts without thinking; never asking the question, “What’s in it for me? How does this affect me? Do I have time for this?” But love that simply acts selflessly and loves lavishly.  Paul says, “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.“ 

1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT)

   While my heart was breaking at the mere thought of living life on this earth without the presence of the one who had shown me this kind of love since the day I was born and every day since, it seemed a burden too great to bear. But as I cried out to God, He would gently bring to my mind special memories of moments my mom showed this kind of love to me. 

   Celebrations: my mom made every celebration special! From birthday parties to holidays, graduations, bridal showers, weddings, baby showers, and everyday in between. From the smallest celebrations of teaching us to hang flowers on someone’s door on May 1st, “May Day”, ringing the bell and then hiding; to Saturday mornings when she would wake us up by opening the blinds and singing, “Wake up Mary Sunshine”, and we would smell French toast or pancakes ready for us in the kitchen, before she would hand us our chart of chores for the day.          Celebrations were one of the first examples that came to my mind. God began to repair my heart with the memories of the celebrations my mom lavished on me and taught me to lavish on those I love. He was showing me the heritage she had and was passing on to me.

    Another example of her example of her unconditional love was in gift giving. My mother had the incredible ability to give the perfect gift at the perfect time with that person completely in mind. She never gave the gift that she wanted to give, but she gave the gift that they wanted to receive!  She gave gifts for special occasions, but she also gave gifts just to let you know that she was thinking of you and she loved you.  One of the gift giving traditions was Christmas Jammies on Christmas Eve. We would open them on Christmas Eve so that we would go to bed in them and wake up in them on Christmas morning.  I carried on this tradition with my kids and grandkids. I remember the year I thought, maybe my teenage children had outgrown this. I gave them different gifts on Christmas Eve and they both opened them, looked at me, and said, where are the Christmas jammies? When I said, I thought maybe you had outgrown this tradition, and maybe I should be a more “hip“ mom, both of my children looked at me and said, “no way, and never do that again!”  I never did it again, and I continue to do it to this day, now with my grandchildren included!

Jesus says, “It is better to give than to receive.” No one got a bigger kick out of seeing someone open the gift she gave them than my mom! She embodied this scripture verse wholeheartedly!

     One more example is cooking and baking. My mom cooked and baked with love in mind. She did not make what was on her list or menu. She baked and cooked what she knew you would love! We never visited her, after we grew up and moved away, without walking into her home and smelling the aromas of all of our favorite things. From over-spiced chili, to snowball cookies, to her sour cream coffee cake, and her famous Grammie‘s French toast, she cooked and baked with pure love!  Jesus says, “Give and it shall be given to you, a good measure…” And my mom truly received the full measure of her joy returned to her as she witnessed her children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren cooking up her recipes with joy and zeal.

    Restoration: God was bringing restoration to my heart by reminding me that my mom‘s legacy was living on through my children and their children. I lost my mom this past year right before Christmas, on December 3. As I gathered with my daughter and my daughter-in-law and my grandchildren to bake her famous sour cream coffee cake, snowball Christmas, cookies, and butter cookies, that we cut out and decorated, my heart began to be restored.

    Another example was: Always knowing what I needed, when I needed it. My mother had an uncanny sense of knowing when I was hurting, and when I needed to be comforted, or called into accountability. We call that in my family, “needing a swift kick in the pants.”  It may not always have felt good or have been wanted, but it was always needed. My mother knew how to “rejoice with those who rejoice, and mourn with those who mourn.” She was there every time I needed her, whether it was in rejoicing or in dealing with all the difficulties that life dishes out. She was always there. I was never alone. I always had a champion!

     The greatest lesson God has taught me and is still teaching me in this difficult journey of Alzheimer’s with my mom and saying goodbye to her on this earth is in the realization that this separation from my mom is only temporary. I don’t like it, but as I wait to see her again and live forever with her in eternity,  I can praise God, for the legacy she has left, has given me and my children, and my grandchildren, and so many others whose lives she touched while she was alive on this earth!

     He made my heart even stronger in knowing, holding onto, and living with the truth that my mom knew Jesus as her Lord and Savior, that God gave me the gift of knowing this , even through her Alzheimer’s.        And One day, we will sing “Jesus Loves me, this know” face to face with our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ! And together, we will celebrate forever! 

TRUTH BOMB

Jesus can repair our broken hearts simultaneously as we are grieving.

     On this Mother’s Day, I pay tribute to the beautiful life lived out by Linda Kay Switter-Dye-Sherman and the legacy she has left for me! Happy Heavenly Mother’s Day, Mom!  Give Grammie a hug and a kiss from me!  I will see you again one day and celebrate with you!

Speak Truth Love