Today I am remembering an important mother I never met … well not in the usual way anyway.
Her name is Amanda.
We are not related in the traditional way of kinship, but our DNA resides in a common place.
This is how it happened. Amanda was born and grew up in Honduras. She married and had four children.
It was not an easy life. There were financial challenges. In time she and her husband divorced.
Amanda came to the United States. She went through all the steps to become an American citizen.
She left her children in the care of her mother and sister in Honduras while she prepared a home for them in the United States.
When the time was right, she moved them to America. She instilled in them Christian values, a strong work ethic, and a desire to get a good education.
Her youngest son is our son in law. He is the father of our grandson. One of his greatest desires is to see his son grow up in a stable environment and have the opportunities to be all his son was created to be.
I had hoped to meet Amanda one day, but that will have to wait for heaven. Amanda was promoted a couple of years ago.
But one day, we will meet and perhaps we shall gush over our children and grandchildren and how God worked it all out to bring a young boy all the way from Honduras to eventually meet a young girl from Kentucky in a city far away from where either of them started.
And perhaps she and I shall recognize each other as distant relatives on earth, but daughters of the same Father in Heaven.
Thank you, Amanda, for never giving up on your dreams.
Thank you for assuring your children were cared for while you prepared a place for them.
Thank you for instilling in them the values that count.
I am sure you are proud of the man your son has become. And we are thankful he is a part of our family now too.
We are thankful for the legacy you left on earth and we will remember you in love. Until we meet in person one day, I know you will be enjoying Heaven.
