My precious mother celebrated her 90th birthday on April 28th. We will have a big birthday celebration this weekend with a host of family and friends. Her legacy is vast, including 13 children, 75 grandchildren, 115 great-grandchildren, and multiple others who have married into the family. A Crosby family reunion could potentially have around 250 family members present, though rarely can everyone attend.
Mother was born April 28, 1932, in Ingham County near Mason, Michigan. She has a twin sister, Dolores, who is also still alive. There would eventually be five sisters to share the home. Her family moved to Pennsylvania when she was a girl and where she met my father in 1944 and married in 1950. They were married 61 years when Dad died on December 2, 2011. Mother, today, is still active and full of life.
When I ponder Mom’s life, I think about how hard she has worked. Her days were filled with cooking, washing, cleaning, and tending to a household that often exceeded 10 people. She gave birth to children over the span of nearly 30 years (my oldest brother is 70 and my youngest brother is 43). Her youngest child, Matthew, graduated high school when Mom was 65. Her life revolved around serving her family.
Mom is a woman of deep faith in Jesus Christ. I have memories of her kneeling beside my bed in prayer. She resolved to memorize Scriptures as she went about her daily tasks. There was a season in her life she memorized the book of James, and there are pleasant memories of hearing her recite the verses while she washed dishes or cleaned house. She was a great support to my father through his years of pastoring, often singing, playing the piano, or engaged in church ministry. To this day, she still reminds me to preach the Bible and look for the coming of Jesus.
My mother has the gift of encouragement. She challenged her children to excel. Mother could see what we could do long before we could. She wanted for each child to reach his or her potential. She still expresses this same encouragement to the extended family. Her gracious influence is felt today, urging others to grow, learn, aspire, and dream.
When I think about Mom, I think about the Proverbs 31 woman described by Solomon. He writes toward the end of the chapter, “When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: ‘There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!’ Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise” (Proverbs 31:26-31, NLT).