July 23, 1930, my momma was born right at the beginning of the Great Depression. She was born in her home in Big Rock, Iowa. (disclaimer: there’s no rock, and it’s not big) 

Her birth was the outset of a long and beautiful life. My mom was a decade younger than her two brothers and adored by both. Her dad farmed, so she said she never really knew they were poor or in need during the Depression. They had food, a family home, their beloved St. Patrick’s Church right across the road, and all they really needed. At the beginning of WWII, they moved to the nearby Quad Cities, so her dad could work at the Rock Island Arsenal to help the war effort. 

She had a strong, Catholic family and no idea something serious was happening in the world. She was loved and protected. While she was being loved and protected, she was also taught all our Catholic faith has to offer, which proved to be what held her strong in times to come. 

Eventually, she became a nurse and married my dad. They continued that tradition of loving and protecting their five children in a Catholic home, while we grew up through more turbulent times in the 1960s. My gratitude to my mom and dad for that childhood knows no bounds. God was her center. Family was her life. She was the perfect matriarch for us, her thirteen grands, and her then two great-grands. 

Mom left us July 26, 2017, for birth into eternal life. 

You have six great-grands now, Mom. I know you are still loving and protecting them.  

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it (Mt 13:45-46).

This verse is part of the July 31, 2024 Gospel. When I had reflected on this, it gave me pause to ponder that this particular Gospel came up on that day, because it always makes me think of mom. 

Seven years ago this past July, we laid my mother to rest in her beautiful St. Patrick’s Cemetery among the cornfields of the tiny town of Big Rock that she called home. My mom was born, raised, lived, and died Catholic. She had a good life, but the last few years were rough. She lived with our brother, who never married and had some mental challenges. She loved him dearly, unconditionally, and knew he was so much in need. This Gospel says everything about her. She gave up everything to care for him—her home, her possessions, her family—all for the one of us who needed her most . . . and ultimately, for God. She sought the pearl. She found that pearl in her giving. Oh, that we all could find our pearl!

My love for my mom fills my heart, and I miss her every day. I take strength from her life and her witness to the love of Christ, and pray for the grace to bring that same love to all my family.