Yesterday was Mother's Day. It was the second one since my mother went to be with Jesus. There were times throughout the day when I teared up, because I still miss Mom. There were good moments as well, like when I was out walking and remembered many of the good times I had growing up in a family where unconditional love was an everyday fact.

As I reminisced, I thought how many of the good qualities in my own life come from Mom. She was not a highly educated woman, but she was wise in many ways. Her faith in her Savior was a quiet, strong faith that was a rock to her throughout her life. Mom's love for others was evident in the way she treated my sister and me, and in the way she opened our house to others.

I am thankful for a mom that embodied the Great Commandment: Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself.

This has been a good week. I only had to help break up one fight at school. The weather is getting warmer and it's almost time for summer break!

Here is what piqued my interest this week:

A Former Leader is enjoying the season.

Molly tries to explain things.

Jake has a good word for teachers.

Dan has some great thoughts.

Anne-droid enjoys God's creation.

Grace weighs in on the Trinity.

Kamp Krusty is an interesting place to visit.

Jeff is processing the pain.

Andrew Jones links to the future of CCM.

Jared wonders if size matters.

Tim Hill is missing something.

John Armstrong has some good thoughts about the Church and race.

This morning on the radio, the announcer was talking about the display that we see in spring, the beauty of the trees and flowers as they bloom and leaf out. He compared it to what we see at Christmas, with the lights and decorations. The Christmas displays have to be put up so, without human effort, there would be nothing to see. On the other hand, what we see in the spring is from God, and doesn't depend on human effort. The beauty of spring far surpasses that of Christmas.

I think the same thing is true in our lives. We try to please God by our own efforts, by trying harder to not sin, by doing more spiritual things, and by teaching others to do those things. So many times the result is something far less than beautiful. Sometimes it looks like a tacky artificial tree with the most fake looking ornaments, sometimes it looks simply ugly.

By contrast, we can recognize that it is only by the grace of a merciful Father that we have anything. Because God is merciful and loving, and because Jesus has died for us on the cross, we can rest in the fact that we are loved by the Creator of all things and are heirs along with Jesus. If we fall into that endless, amazing grace and let the Holy Spirit work in us and form us into the image of Christ, the result will be something beautiful and wondrous to behold. Like spring.

There is another thing to remember when other people don't seem to "get it" like we do. In spring, the plants don't all come out at the same time. Sometimes even plants of the same species are on a different schedule. So it is with God's children. We are all growing, just at different rates. Back when I was a teenager (way back in the dark ages), there was a popular saying among Christians: "Please be patient, God is not finished with me yet". We need to remember that.