Keys to the Kingdom

Lydia Mae

I have three grandchildren and all of them are sisters. Lydia Mae is the eldest, born on May 2, 2014. Her first name is biblical and her middle name is after her maternal great grandmother, Bertha Mae. Mom was always called Bertha Mae by her family and friends, so whenever I accompanied her to the doctor in her later years, the nurse would call for “Bertha,“ which always sounded odd and wrong. In loving memory of Mom, I’ve always called my granddaughter “Lydia Mae” because it seemed right and kept a part of Mom alive through speaking her middle name. Mom passed away May 30, 2015. Interestingly, one life began and one life ended in the month of May, one year apart.

One morning, after spending the night, I entered Lydia Mae’s bedroom to visit with her before I headed for home. I sat beside her on the edge of the bed and she let me look through her journal. I began turning pages and found a four-page writing that grabbed my attention and heart. She had divided her thoughts into three profound headings. I was so deeply touched by her insight, I asked if I could borrow her journal and share it in one of my columns. She gave her permission; so here’s what she penned:

1. Family Matters Most: My family and friends are what matter most. No matter who they are or what they believe in, they matter more than anything in the world. I’m not saying that you don’t need air, water, money, sleep, and food. They all mean a lot to survival, but what is living if you have no one to live with? If you had no family or friends you would be all alone with no one else around. Life would be harder because there would be no teamwork. One person would have to do everything by themselves. It takes years to build things when you alone are doing things. So now we know we all need each other!

2. Treat each other the way you want to be treated: Treat each other the way you want to be treated is the Golden Rule. It means if you show meanness you will get meanness back. If you show kindness then you will get kindness back. So if you want to be treated kindly then you should treat others kindly.

3. Show Love to Everyone: Show love to everyone just means that you should treat everyone the same, no matter what they look like, sound like, or believe in because everyone is human and deserves to be treated like one. Everyone is special because God created everyone different. Even twins are different, but that shouldn’t affect how people are treated. Now you know.

“Happy Mother’s Day” to all who have loved, nurtured, and inspired their children. I am currently reading through a Bible that my late husband gave to his mother for Easter 2018. (This gift was returned to me when she downsized and moved.) Her son wrote this on the inside cover: “To Mom, Happy Springtime!! He is risen as He said! Thank you for your kindness and patience. You have made the world a lovelier place. I love you, Jimmy.” No matter our age, we never outgrow our need for a mother. It’s nice that a  mother’s influence lasts a lifetime.

The Key: Mothers teach and love their children tenderly so life won’t be so hard.