A mother’s joy and passion for everyday miracles is a lasting gift

My 95-year-old mother is a genuine sweetheart. Even with advanced dementia, she has a spirit of selflessness and love that pervades everything she does. She is absolutely the most giving and grateful person I know, and this year, once again, she gave me my Christmas Moment.

She lives in a nursing facility now, and Joe and I recently spent a few days down on Long Island to visit. We played games, shared stories, looked at old photo albums together and laughed. She teaches us so much just by living each moment in the moment, with no worries, no cares, no distractions. Even if that moment is forgotten just a few minutes later, it matters not, because it is the present moment that counts.

We brought some simple Christmas gifts with us, and when she opened them, you would have thought we had given her diamonds and gold. Her eyes welled up with joy and she let out a deep sigh of satisfaction, like she was utterly and completely satiated.

It brought me back to a trip to the grocery store mom and I had made maybe a half dozen years ago. As we slowly made our way across the parking lot, a huge flock of geese soared in formation over our heads, loudly (and annoyingly) honking to one another. My mom had stopped and looked up to the sky with that same look of pure delight I had witnessed in the nursing home. She had tears in her eyes, and the sight momentarily took her breath away, but when she regained it, she said, “Magnificent, isn’t it? How can anyone say there is no God?”

That’s when I had my Christmas Moment, when I saw everything clearly, and my heart was filled with overwhelming gratitude. 

As I worried about goose poop possibly hitting my coat, my mother saw the choreography, the music, the majesty, and the magnificent hand of God in that gaggle of birds. What a gift! What a blessing. What a return on her investment.

My mother has spent her nine and a half decades on earth living her life every day with passion, joy, a desire only to do good, and to bring happiness to others. When I look into her face, I see the embodiment of the ‘Joy of the Gospel.’ 

It is no surprise that Jesus identifies especially with the ­little ones. They do indeed have much to teach us. As my mother becomes more childlike, more dependent on me and others, each day is new, each experience — even if repeated — is once again pure and glorious, as it should be in order to be properly appreciated. If only we could ­carry this with us throughout our lives — being fully present in each and every moment.

As we close out this Advent season, I pray that we can all live in the moment, the Christmas Moment, and delight in the wonders of God, big and small.

Kathleen M. Gallagher is ­director of pro-life activities at the New York State Catholic Conference.