Our Greatest Joy

Last August, our community was shaken to its core when my best friend’s son passed away. There is not a day that goes by that we don’t think about him, talk about him, or say his name. His absence is felt in every corner of our village.

While we will never stop remembering him, today I want to share about his mama. About a month after he passed, she told me something I will never forget.

“My greatest joy in life is watching my children experience life.”

Even now, typing those words gives me chill bumps. Her greatest joy is watching them live.

Those words are why I spent my 41st birthday in a dove field, sweating through my clothes, surrounded by my family. Because I could hear her voice.

She is the kind of mama who shows up. It doesn’t matter if her children are sitting on the bench, waiting backstage, or standing in the spotlight (and I’ll be honest, most of their time has been in the spotlight, and they get that from their mama). She is there. If it means showing up early, she is early. If it means staying late, she stays late. She doesn’t give 100 percent. She gives 500.

I used to tease her about it. I would ask if she was really sure she wanted to go to another tournament or camp instead of taking a trip or going out with us. Her answer was always the same. “I’ll be wherever they are.” And she is. Every single time.

Back then, I just shook my head. But now, I praise God she has always been wherever they are. That is time she will never get back, and I am so grateful she has lived every experience alongside her children. That is her greatest joy, and she has never missed the chance to live it.

And here is what makes her even more special. She doesn’t just show up for her own kids, she shows up for mine too. From day one she has been all in, and my children know it. I know it too. She is the kind of friend who will tell you the truth when no one else will, the one who whispers that you have something in your teeth when everyone else just let you walk around smiling.  She always has your back.. she may have questions, but she is loyal. She loves hard, and she is there through thick and thin. Our children need those kinds of adults in their lives, the ones who speak life over them, who remind them they matter, and who love them without conditions...  and honestly we do, too!

So when I find myself not wanting to sit through another baseball game, not wanting to listen to another hunting story, or dreading a long, hot day in a dove field, I remind myself that my kids are also my greatest joy. Where they are is where I need to be.

Do not get me wrong, I love a good date night or a couples trip as much as anyone, maybe even more. But at the end of the day, my kids will not remember those things. What they will remember is that their mama was always their loudest cheerleader and their biggest fan.

We can all take encouragement from her words. Remind your children, by your presence and your actions, that they are your greatest joy. Watching them experience life is what it is all about, even if it means sweating through your birthday in a dove field.

And I know she was proud of me that day. My kids would have been prouder if I had actually shot a dove, but the last time mama shot a gun she broke a rib, so these days I stick to the fellowship only. Ha.

Cheering you on always, with joy and gratitude,

Tyne