My Mum ‘n’ Me

Deb over at Truth Vessel issued a "Tag" last week to all who follow/read her blog. The game is to look in your computer's photo files. Go to the 8th folder and choose the 8th picture, then post that pic and write about it.

My eighth folder is filled with images I took in 2008. The eighth photo was the picture you see above. It was taken on the balcony of a restaurant overlooking a winery in the Hunter Valley (about a 2 hour drive north of Sydney). We went there to celebrate my mum’s birthday.

My mum and I are best friends. We’ve gone through a lot together. We share all our struggles. We laugh at each other’s terrible jokes. We talk and we talk. We want the best for each other.

Because of this, my mum has been a powerful influence in my life. If you’ve read my testimony, then you will know that she is the one who brought me to Christ. And she had only been a Christian for a year. She became a minister and led many churches. She showed me that so much is possible if we only put our faith in God.

She even taught me the meaning of sacrifice. She gave up so much for her family. And she gave up so much for her Lord. My mum is an amazing artist, but she gave it up so that she could focus on her ministry work. At first I didn’t understand this. I thought she was giving up too much, but she always reassured me that when she retired God would give her the time to paint again. I am sure that conviction was what got her through some of the more difficult challenges she had to face.

Now she is retired and, yes, she is painting again. She works in the traditional mediums of oils and inks and watercolours. But her work is far from traditional. Every time I visit her the smell of turps fills the spare room/studio. Her eyes beam with excitement as she shows me her latest creations.

I love my mum. I feel so blessed to have a friend like her.

Who has had a huge influence in your life?
Is anyone brave enough to post the 8th pic in their 8th photo folder?