I Shall Rise Up and Call Her Hilarious

A lot of people think being an only child is a lonely way to grow up.

But in my case, I grew up…laughing my head off.

God gave me the gift of godly parents who were (Dad) and are (Mom) two of the funniest people on the planet. The three of us had a constant party going on, so I’ve never felt cheated. I adored my parents, and adored the fact they treated me like an adult long before I was one.

Whether it was Dad wearing a ridiculous fur flap hat to shovel the driveway, or Mom trying to bake…anything that didn’t set off the smoke alarm, they taught me laughter is the best medicine to fix what ails you.

I’ve read some other mother tributes in honor of Mother’s Day, and it sounds like a lot of people think Proverbs 31 gets beat to death like an already dead horse this time of year.

Honestly? I always zoned out when the “Perfect Woman Message” was preached. I thought – “You know when I’ll listen to this? When a WOMAN preaches it!”

Hee! I was a tiny little feminist!

Now that I’m nearly 30 (gasp!), I’ve had a bit more time to reflect on good old Proverbia (that’s my unofficial name for the perfect woman whose skirts inhabit the 31st chapter of Proverbs).

And, I’ve come to really love the passage. It shows us how much God values women, how much society should value women, and gives us a snapshot of what women can accomplish by the grace of God.

Sort of like the Bible version of the Equal Rights Amendment.

If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, then you know how much I love my mom. And my mom loves me. It’s a mutual admiration society, and we know it.

What a lot of people don’t know is that Mom…wanted a BOY!

When she and my Dad were finally able to conceive after 11 years of marriage, they both knew it might be their only child.

Mom wanted a boy to carry on the Trotter name. Dad wanted a little girl all wrapped in pink!

Dad got his wish, and I came into the world.

Mom, of course, loved me at first sight. And Dad was gone over the moon.

You have only to look at our early family photos to see that we were three people deeply in love with one another.

Years later, Mom told me about wanting a boy. His name (my name!) would have been Nathan.

Over the years, I’ve joked with Mom that a son wouldn’t do this or that – and how lucky she is to have ME, as her daughter.

Mom decided to turn the tables at my wedding. When it was her turn to read a Bible verse, she chose a passage from the book of Ruth:

Ruth 4:13 – 15
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.

14 Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel.

15 "May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given birth to him."

Mom looked up with a smile and addressed the crowd and me. “My daughter who is here with me today is better to me than seven sons.”

I almost lost it right there, and we weren’t even into the ceremony yet!

So, I guess what it boils down to is that I love Mom exactly the way I love the Lord.

Because she first loved me.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

Love,
Nathan