Kay Mitchell (Kansas City): "Her Children Arise and Call her Blessed"

I have thought many times about what I would write if I wrote about my mother. I never could decide what to say, and now it is my time to write. I could fill pages trying to explain to you who my mom is and the impact she has made on my family and others. I grew up thinking my mom was just like any other mother. My mom did what she did because she was a “mom” and everyone’s mother could do what she did. My mom had a way of making things seem natural. Nothing ever really seemed to burden her and there certainly wasn’t anything she couldn’t do herself, which included putting in flooring in on our first floor all by herself in only two days and replacing all the windows in our house.
As I got older I realized something: I was wrong! There was a sign on a billboard that read “if evolution really exists why do mothers not grow more arms?” I have often wondered if my mother had more than one of her stashed somewhere. Other moms are not all like my mom and what she does is certainly not easy. My mom is an amazing woman of God. She would never tell you about all the wonderful qualities she has, or how she lives a selfless life so I will because my mother is someone I want to be like and I believe is a great example of what God wants his daughters to be. My mother raised six children, home schooling us all. She served and still serves the church sacrificially, and she stands by my father as his suitable helper. My mother is a strong, caring, serving, creative, godly, insightful, Proverbs 31 woman!
Living on my own trying to be a woman of God and now a wife I see that the footsteps my mother has left is no easy path to follow. My mom grew up going to a traditional Church of Christ. When she was 19 years old she married my dad, her high school sweetheart. She had my oldest brother when she was 22 and five more kids were to follow! After having my two older brothers and me she faithfully followed my dad to Kansas City to be a part of the church there. My parents soon after moving started leading the Kids Kingdom and they lead it for over ten years. My parents also decided that they wanted all six of their children to be home schooled, and so that is what my mom did! My dad has lead as a deacon, sector leader, bible talk leader, and is now an elder; my mom has always stood next to my dad helping to serve God and His church faithfully. Now that us children are out of the home my mom still cares for each of us; watching the grandchildren, flying to help recover couches, sending us food, or giving words of advice. My mom fills her day with helping other people; taking care of her dad who now lives with them, opening up her home to host events for singles, campus, marrieds, meeting with women to shepherd them, serving the needy in the church, and helping my dad.
In 2008 my granny passed away after a two year battle with cancer. Anyone that has seen someone they love go through that knows it is one of the hardest things to watch. These two years became a very emotional ride. My mom was there through it all. She was there through many rounds of chemo, being told the cancer was gone to then being told it was actually not gone but it has spread and many more ups and downs. Soon after my granny was diagnosed my mom began traveling to and from my grandparents’ home and my parents’ home, 615miles each way. Three of my siblings still lived at home during the first year. In the last year my mom would drive to Oklahoma for a couple weeks where she would take care of my granny, tend to the house, and drive my granny to and from the hospital, some hospitals being hours away. After being gone for a couple of weeks my mom would go home for the weekend to take care of things at home, make sure my dad and brother had what they needed and help out with the church, and then back out she would go. During this year my mom served my granny effortlessly with little rest, no time to herself, little time with her husband and really no time to process what was going on. I am amazed at my mom’s strength and commitment to serve with all her heart.
If you know my mom then you know you are blessed. I know this is just a small glimpse into her life but I hope her life will inspire you to live a life serving out of a love for God.
“Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many woman do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Proverbs 31:28-29