Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. – Deuteronomy 5:16

In the 1980 biographical film, “Coal Miners Daughter” in which Sissy Spacek played the role of country music singer Loretta Lynn, there is a scene near the beginning of the film which is rather humorous. Loretta has made a pie for a social which is to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Doolittle “Mooney” Lynn, Loretta’s soon to be husband, has his eye on her and bids the highest to win her pie and hopefully her approval of him. As Doolittle takes the pie and Loretta’s hand, they find an isolated area and he proceeds to cut a piece of pie, taste’s it and quickly spits it out in a nearby wood stove. He asks, “Dang Loretta, how much salt did that pie call for?”, she responds, “you don’t put salt in a pie dummy, you put eggs, sugar……”, then suddenly hands over face replies, “oh my gosh”. To which Doolittle responds, “stands to reason, they are both white”.

In today’s writing, I wish to give honor and thankfulness to my mother, Reba Jean Hataway Tarjick. The older I get, the more I realize how much she truly did for me as only a mother can. Besides giving me life, feeding me, clothing me, sitting up with me when I was ill, basically providing me with all the essentials of life that mothers give their children which at the time, we very seldom see until later on in life especially when we are blessed with a family of our own.

One of my mother’s greatest gifts that God has blessed her with, is the ability to cook. Now I know all of you reading this probably are saying this of your own moms and I’m glad you are,  but I’m here to tell you friends, no one cooks like my mom! Occasionally, I will run into someone in Wal-Mart, the Post Office, etc., and when they hear that I am one of Reba’s sons, they will quickly ask me “is Miss Reba still cooking?” as mom has cooked for many folks here in our hometown for many years now. I truly believe mom receives great comfort in knowing people love her cooking. There is absolutely nothing that my mom ever cooked for us growing up….well, except liver, that I didn’t love. It’s not just that mom loves to cook, but she loves talking about food, recipes, cooks on the Food Network and even want to know what we’re having for breakfast, dinner or supper. She has such a passion which I truly believe is a ministry to others in itself.

Mom also loves to talk. And that’s quite ok, but I believe I received dad’s genes when it comes to having the “gift of gab”. I can remember growing up when we would all be around the supper table and all of a sudden dad would say “ok, Bryan…it’s your turn to talk now.” I would simply respond, “I have nothing to say”. I’ve just always been the type that unless I had something to say, I would rather just listen until the opportunity would arise that I could eventually interject something into the conversation. I get rather tickled at times when mom calls to “check in” and she will pretty much talk most of the time and I occasionally reply with a “yes, well, yeah, oh ok….really?…ok, love you too mom…have a great day”. What can I say, mom loves to talk.

There are many other areas in which mom is special and goes out of her way to do for others, that I could go into but honestly, some of those things, I do believe should be left between her and God. As I do believe what the Word says in Mathew 6:3,4 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Yes, today friends, I wish to honor mom for all she’s done, all she’s doing and all she will continue to do knowing that serving the Lord is the very heart of her service and giving. And while I’ve mainly focused on my mom, I also wish to give thankfulness to my wife, Karen and daughter Scarlett, who is also a mother now. How very proud Karen and I are of her and woman she has become. All I can say is to God be the Glory for all He has done.

Happy Mother’s Day mom. I Love You, and Happy Mother’s Day to each and every one of you Mothers out there. may God continue to enrich your life with a life of health, prosperity and blessing.

For His Kingdom,