Back in 1999 when I was first approached about setting up a MOPS group (Mothers of PreSchoolers) in our church, Margaret was the mature mother figure with adult children who was asked to journey alongside me in the birth of this venture. Within the MOPS framework as it was then, each group was asked to have a 'Mentor Mum', a mature women who could teach and mentor the younger women and come alongside them, in much the same was as the older woman described in the book of Titus in the Bible.
Margaret was perfect for that role, and as well as being the mother figure for all of the young mums who came to the group, she did the same for me - and pretty much has never stopped. She has been a guiding light to me in so many ways. Her
relationship with God is very much alive and dynamic, and just like any
important relationship, this is the fruit of giving it a lot of her time and energy.
It is always wonderful to visit her and see her with a beaming smile,
excitedly tell me “I’ve been having such a wonderful time with the Lord”.
She has prayed for me and my family and has been there through all of the goings out and comings in of my life. When
we moved out of the area in which we both lived and away from the church we
both shared, I was reluctant to leave my hairdresser (you hold onto them when you have a good one, right?), so given I was coming back at least every six weeks for a haircut, this morphed into a visit afterwards to Margaret to chew the fat on the latest
in our lives. We’ve been doing this now for coming up to ten years.
This is a scrapbooking layout I did of Margaret as my mentor about ten years ago.
2019 was a big year for Margaret.
Margaret’s husband had been in nursing home care and she had
lost him the previous year. They had lived for most of their married life in
the same home, the place where I always visited her. One day I turned up for my
usual visit, and over our cups of tea, I asked her what was new. She astounded
me with her response – that she was selling her home and going into a
retirement village!
It transpired that another couple from the church where we met were selling
their home and moving into this village, and when they went to check it out,
they asked Margaret if she’d like to accompany them. She liked what she saw!
She had always had a great love for her beautiful garden, but unbeknownst to me
she was finding it increasingly difficult to keep it tended. Rather than see it
go to pot, or have to rely on others to step up, she decided it was time to
downsize, and this seemed the perfect opportunity. The deal-breaker was her little dog Mini, but when it was discovered that
she could take her too, the deal was done.
The things that always strikes me about this story, is the
incredible sense of peace Margaret had throughout the whole process. It is no
small thing to make this decision on your own, and the peace that descended was amazing even to her - it was God-given. I sat with her the day her home
went up for auction, and she received the price she needed to make the change.
After the successful auction
Family and friends stepped in to help her organise, and to my delight she listened
to her daughter who urged her to buy herself some new furniture as part of her
new start. Why shouldn’t she have some
lovely new things to celebrate this new season?
Each time I
visit, she is becoming more settled. Her place is quite simply enormous! She
has a small verandah which is home to the chosen plants she was able to bring
along, a large living area, three good sized bedrooms, a bathroom and an
ensuite. There are bucketloads of storage too. One room will be home to all of
her craft and sewing activities, and the other bedroom for when her daughter
comes to stay. Whilst the culling process was an exhausting one, carried out
over a very hot summer, she is delighted with the result and can now do further
culling in her own time.
Such a great little nest of baskets that she had in her garden, easy to relocate to their new home.
I visited Margaret this week for her birthday, and progress is being made. Mini is gradually settling in, though probably taking a
little longer than Margaret if the truth be told. But as I look back over the
process from when Margaret first told me what she was doing until now, every
stressful step has been marked by this overriding peace from God. She has
remarked on it often, and it is inspiring to see when a person can make this
type of move at a time and place of their own choosing, rather than be forced
into some type of care without warning if ill-health strikes. The friends who
originally took her to see the complex have also now settled in, and she can
see their balcony from her verandah. As she no longer drives, it has been a
blessing that they can take her with them to shop or go out if she would like
to. In the meantime, walking Mini three times a day is keeping her moving.
In the spirit of her having some new things around her, I
made her a little gift to celebrate her birthday.
Just as the older women are called to in Titus 2, Margaret continues
to model for me what it is to live with Jesus as Lord. I so appreciate her
wisdom, her generosity of spirit and her love, as well as the example she sets
for me in turning to God to get her through when the going gets tough. She has modeled something precious to me in how she has handled her move, and I hope I can have the same peace with any future moves I need to make. I couldn’t
have asked for a better woman to journey alongside me, to encourage me and
guide me. She is an ongoing reason to be cheerful in my life.
Margaret and Mini. Loving the beautiful new bed and bedding!
Do you have a mentor, or an older person who comes alongside you when you need a friend? Perhaps you mentor people yourself? I do have some beautiful young ones in my life that I get to 'mentor' and whenever I wonder if I have what it takes, I think about Margaret and her example. I may not think I can 'mentor', but I can give love and support, and I know from experiencing that, it's a pretty good start.
There is a time for every purpose under heaven. The Bible was the first to say it, in the book of Ecclesiastes 3: 1-13. In 1965, The Byrds picked up on the wisdom and set it to music, releasing what would become the classic, Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season). Seems like a great song for this post.
Tracey 🌼
With thanks to the YouTube Channel of hardfolk for The Byrds
Tracey 🌼
With thanks to the YouTube Channel of hardfolk for The Byrds
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