One never really gets over the death of their mother. Though my mom died 15 years ago and was disabled with Alzheimer's a few years prior to her death, I still think of her quite often. I am not overly sad and I don't cry about it anymore, but that doesn't mean that strong feelings aren't present when she comes to my mind.

Norma Jean (Smith) Rasmussen is (explanation to follow) a very special woman. She was married to a pastor, raised three boys who all turned out to be pastors, and lived the life of the pastor's wife pretty much her entire life. To some that may sound romantic and kind of like an easy life, but she lived in a house full of boys who were way less than perfect. In spite of that, mom showed class at all times.

My mother's faith in God was immense, and that is part of the explanation of the above comment. I believe mom is still very much alive, living in the presence of the Lord that she loved. So how can I be too sad, and how can I refer to her in past tense when I know she is eternally with God? In Hebrews, the scripture says, "Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

I do not have a full understanding of that quite yet, but I do know that death on this earth is not the finality of life. I have no doubt that I will see my mother again.

Mothers are very special. God knew that we would need a loving, compassionate guide and teacher while we were growing on this earth, so he created mothers. Happy Mother's Day to all mothers. I truly hope your special day was full of blessings. If you have a mom who is still with you on this earth, tell her how special she is and how much you love her. Better yet, do something that would make her proud to be your mom. Shalom.