Beautiful

My mom, Ruth Oswald Witmyer, as a young lady

A beaming bride!

“She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that’s best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes;”

Lord Byron

“You look just like your mom!” I have lost track of the number of times people have told me that in my lifetime! Today my mom celebrates her birthday and I think about the indelible design that she has imprinted upon my life. I recall her sitting partially eclipsed behind the tomes of Strong, Nave and Matthew Henry as she rejoiced about a new ‘goodie’ she unearthed in the Scriptures. She didn’t have to preach to me about loving God, she simply did it in front of me. As an adult, when I married and moved away to Mexico, people would ask her how it felt to have her only child move so far away and her response was always, “I would rather she live 2,500 miles away from me and be in the will of God, than to live next door to me and be out of it.” Only a mother who loves God first can talk like that.

 I learned everything from my mom. Of course, I didn’t realize I was learning; I was just absorbing as children do. She introduced me to the fascinating worlds of languages, cultures, books, nature, poetry and storytelling. She taught me my first Spanish words. I can still remember the amazement on the face of my elementary school teacher because I could recite the Greek alphabet (don’t ask me to do that now!) Yep, that was my mom’s doing. She made Bible stories more addictive than a soap opera ever could be (noooo, don’t stop there!), and she could get a bunch of teenagers enthused about etymology (now that’s pretty amazing!). My mom has always had eyes that see the beauty, uniqueness and creativity that God has placed in the world and she genuinely delights in His designs. Her beauty is not just in a pretty face, but also in a soul that deeply appreciates all that is divinely lovely. When people tell me I look like my mom, I hope they are right; my mom is a truly beautiful person.