My life was recently touched by two very special people; one I never met and the other I’ve known my entire life.
The first is a sweet little boy born January 9, 2015. On this day he answered the hopes and dreams of a young woman, he made her a mom. The mom she always wanted to be. The mom she prayed she would be one day…. She named him Mercer, meaning “storekeeper” and he was the keeper of her heart. His tiny foot was hardly bigger than a coin yet he was a born fighter.
He fought with all the strength his 16-ounce body would allow. He was a warrior for eight days. Yet in only eight days he inspired so many people to come together in prayer. We cheered every picture of him breathing on his own. We oohed and aahd over Mercer’s tiny handprints and footprints…..in awe that God could create a life so small and so perfect. In eight short days he gave his mother a gift she will have for the rest of her life, she is Mercer’s mom.
The second special person lived 37,857 days. Yes that would make her more than 103 years old. Her name was Maybelle, meaning “lovable.” This is very fitting as Maybelle was one of the kindest women I’ve ever met. If I close my eyes and see her face, she’s smiling.
She died just six days before Mercer was born. I picture her in heaven encouraging his little soul to go meet his mom. I believe she would do that….tell someone to be brave and take a chance. She was brave. And she was hardworking. She lived in her own home until just last October when she agreed another winter in her house in Schroeder was not a good idea. My mom liked to visit her on a regular basis. Maybelle brought people together….she had lots of neighbors and friends. She too was an inspiration to many.
Even though Mercer and Maybelle had very different life experiences, length of time with their families being only one, I see them so much as the same. The weight of their souls seems equal to me somehow. Balanced.
Both lived according to a plan that we cannot control. I believe it’s good we cannot control these things. Given this I believe we must come to value and appreciate each and every day….you might only have eight days or you might have more than 37 thousand. Appreciate the young and the old as we have so much to learn from each one. The beautiful North Shore is home to the final resting places of both Mercer and Maybelle. Peace, Sandy.
Why be saddled with this thing called life expectancy? Of what relevance to an individual is such a statistic? Am I to concern myself with an allotment of days I never had and was never promised? Must I check off each day of my life as if I am subtracting from this imaginary hoard? No, on the contrary, I will add each day of my life to my treasure of days lived. And with each day, my treasure will grow, not diminish.
Robert Brault
Taste of Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on a farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of home-style recipes.
Leave a Reply