Mom's Keys

             That day was like any other gotta-do-errands day.

            Mom drove, and I occupied the passenger’s seat. One more errand. A stop to buy something yummy at the bakery, then we’d head home. Not far. Less than 2 blocks away. Mom pushed down the left turn signal, hesitated, and turned across traffic toward the small row of stores.

            Crash! Glass and metal strewn about!

            In an instant we were sideways and stopped, blocking the southbound lane of our town’s main thoroughfare. We weren’t hurt. Shook up, though, for sure!

            But maybe we were hurt because—well—everything changed that day.

            Mom never drove again.

            Maybe “everything” didn’t change that particular day. Perhaps it was more like 5 years earlier when Mom’s ophthalmologist said she’d likely go blind, then did in one eye. She drove after that, which was permitted…

            …but her confidence died that day. And the car keys? Parked. 

            After that, Dad became her “designated driver,” taking her to the grocery store, work 3 days a week, and anywhere else she needed to go. When my sister became a licensed driver, she and Dad took turns.

            Then my sister headed to college. Dad regained his “designated driver” status until this kid—me—learned to drive.

            But Mom never surrendered all her keys—just the car’s.

            You see, back when Mom’s eye doctor told her she’d likely become blind at some point, Mom decided, then and there, she’d learn to do the things she loved most with her eyes closed—1) typing and 2) playing the piano, those topping her list.

            Oh, there were times she pecked out the wrong letters on those manual typewriter KEYS and had to erase or mark out errors on stencils for the weekly church bulletin, etc. But she learned to be a super-fast typist with few errors.

            Then there were the 88 piano KEYS. Mom played beautifully. She never credited herself with being an accomplished pianist, but that she was, never having many lessons. After all, her growing-up years hit when times were hardest, so she mostly taught herself.

            And when that ophthalmologist dropped Mom’s dooming news, no way would she surrender that keyboard! She practiced scales daily. Not flawlessly at first, but eventually—eyes closed—she mastered them all—every key signature. Arpeggios too. And more. Much more.

            Some would say Mom was stubborn. Her sisters did! I like to think of her as determined with reason. For she taught me an important life lesson in our home with keys tapping—whether on typewriter or piano.

            Okay. So, the car keys might’ve been stationary, but that didn’t stop Mom.

            Now, whenever I feel I can’t go on with the difficulties I face, I think of our mom. She didn’t quit! Sure, it was hard. She may’ve thought of quitting, but I don’t recall her ever voicing that.

            I do know she clung to God’s promises, which she read daily in her devotional time. Truly her faith was the real KEY to her success.

            What I gleaned most from our mom: Even when something seems impossible or at least very challenging, keep trying. She did and succeeded.

            Mom never went totally blind, although in another couple decades she lost a lot of vision in her “good” eye. But, even then, she kept on—knowing very well how to type and play piano because…

            …she learned to do those eyes closed. And funny thing is, she often had them closed when practicing at home until very close to the end of her 68-year life, when she couldn’t close her eyes to the cancer that took her.

            Would you believe Mom played the piano at church until 7 weeks before she died? Yep. She even talked her oncologist into releasing her from the hospital early because “my kids and grandkids are coming to visit, and I want to be there to play.”

            As much as Mom taught me about overcoming what might seem impossible at times, I know One Who totally exemplifies this—my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

“…with God all things are possible.” —Matthew 19:26b NKJV

            If ever you face humanly overwhelming challenges, know you can turn your circumstances over to God. He’s the only One Who can do what seems otherwise impossible.

“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for Me?”

—Jeremiah 32:27 NKJV

 

“Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees and looks to that alone;

Laughs at impossibilities and cries: It shall be done!

And cries: It shall, it shall be done!

And cries: It shall, it shall be done!

Laughs at impossibilities and cries: It shall be done!”

 

Here’s the melody if you wish to sing along!

(If you do, you’ll find yourself singing it over & over.)

Faith, Mighty Faith, the Promise Sees (youtube.com)

 

(lyrics from a work by Charles Wesley, 1700s—tune from 1480 England—public domain)

 

#mother #keys #driving #blindness #typewriter #piano #cancer

#determination #allthingspossiblewithGod #CharlesWesley