Mother Teresa, a holy woman, picks up a sleeping child off a dirty mat and gently places him upon her bed. Two-thousand years ago, THE Holy Child lay beneath warm cow’s breath and began His call to those who are now His holy people. Though I’m privileged to see and know many of these holy people, none has spoken more deeply to my heart than Elizabeth, a holy child.
During labor with Elizabeth, my second, a gentle nurse wiped my brow and spoke. “Because the baby is in distress there’ll be a neo-natal specialist in the room. Also, don’t expect to hear the baby cry…a tube will be inserted down its throat at birth to suction out harmful fluids…’
Another contraction. “Can’t I have anything at all for the pain?”
“No, think of the baby. Can’t you push harder?”
I was. I had been.
Lord, I’m struggling. You have my whole attention. This baby is yours; I surrender it to you. I felt His peace.
Later in the emergency room a crack could be heard. My coccyx bone had broken giving birth to a nine-pound, three-ounce girl. I’d sit on a cushion for six months. (PS from 2020 – I used to be really small!)
“Looks like you were pushing. Sorry, it really should have been a C-section. I had no idea of the size.” (PS from 2020 – He told me he was leaving town if I ever had another baby!)
I didn’t care. The pain was gone. And having made that settlement with God has given me such daily appreciation of the joys of this undeserved child brings.
She was four when she asked Jesus to be her Lord. Her baby prayers were always long and new. Always talking to a friend.
“Dear Jesus, I like the picture of you in great-grandma’s bible. You looked so cute laying in the manger – it makes me happy to see that one. And Lord, the one of you on the cross, bleeding – it makes me feel so sad. But then I remember: oh yeah, He’s dying for MY sins. Then I feel happy again! In Jesus’ name, Amen.” My child the theologian!
A holy child of four steals from her sleep at 3:00 a.m. to lay her weeping face upon her father’s: “Daddy, please, would you let Jesus in your heart? I’m worried you won’t come up in heaven with me.” The holy child’s heart breaks once again. But she perseveres doggedly day in and day out.
Are these holy ones perfect? Pure every moment? One less than perfect time came years later for my holy child one day as she stormed into our kitchen, flushed over some injustice.
“I HATE my face! When I get to heaven I’m going to have a new face. I HATE my voice! When I get to heaven, I’m going to get a new voice. And I HATE my name, ELIZABETH ANNE! When I get to heaven, I’m going to have a new name!”
Gently cradling her to my heart, I whispered, “What, my love, will your new name be?”
She looked up at me sheepishly and whispered, “God”.
At five, she asked her grandma, “Are you a Christian?”
“I hope so.”
Puzzled look. “Do you have Jesus in your heart?”
“Oh, he’s up in heaven.”
“Grandma, if he’s not in your heart, you can’t come up in heaven with me.”
“Darling, God is good and he lets everyone in heaven. You’ll know when you’re older.”
“Grandma, I already know.”
I watch this freckled face cherub lick at an ice cream after kindergarten. Sister is in school.
“Mom, would you please do me a favor?”
“Honey, What? I just bought you an ice cream!”
“To be fair, let me stay home on Saturday and take Jenny out for ice cream.” Lord, thank you.
I watch this five-year old giggler wave bye-bye to her Dad and call to him, “Don’t forget at work what I told you about Hell!” Beats the monotony of ‘Have a nice day’ I suppose.
“So what did you tell him?”
“Hell doesn’t have a bottom. He needs to know cause that’s a lot of falling.”
Lord, I thank you for my salvation and for knowing you. But Lord, to send me Elizabeth as well. To see holiness being lived out in my home with such joy and wonder – why am I so blessed?
I believe all of heaven rejoices when she awakens and angels delight to hear her sing. Could I be prejudiced?!
Missionaries came to our church school bringing natives from afar dressed in full costume: feathers, bones, paint. “In our language”, the gentlewoman spoke, “the center of one’s being is not the heart – it is the throat. So all these warriors have asked Jesus into their throats.”
“Mom”, she whispered, “when I grow up, I’m going to go over there and tell them just to swallow Him on down. He needs to be in their hearts you know.”
A missionary? Perhaps. But for now, she’s blessing the lives of those around her with happiness and love.
Big first-grader Jenny had been sporting several friendship bracelets for days. Gifts from true friends at school. The trend had not hit K-5 and Elizabeth was painfully aware of her shortage.
The check-out girl was bored, cranky. Elizabeth spotted those blasted dime and quarter machines full of gum and garbage. She wandered a few feet to investigate.
“Mom, please, may I have a quarter? One has friendship bracelets!”
“No, honey. We agreed, no treats or surprises till Saturday.”
“I’ll pray”, she threatened. Now the check-out girl was noticing.
Elizabeth idly turned the crank. On the floor feel a green and orange friendship bracelet. I was ready to scold.
“Mom, look! GOD wants to be MY friend! He gave me this to tell me!”
I believe there were tears in the cashier’s eyes as I offered to pay the quarter for her trinket. She refused to take it.
“Lord, may my prayers contain this simple faith and straight forwardness.” She showed and told all who’d listen to a dimple-faced enthusiast about her Friend’s gift. The best friend a five-year old ever knew.
Elizabeth Anne sees beauty in all things. This makes it difficult to keep things in the garbage cans – they are too beautiful to throw out: empty cereal boxes, leaves, tea bags – everything! She loves to decorate the house with them and arranges them so ingeniously that it breaks my heart when necessary to pick up.
So we have an arrangement – a ‘keeping box’. In it, she may keep all her treasures and they are safe from mom. It is a strong, roomy box and she may keep one box for each year to fill up with school papers, wrapping paper, art projects and dead bugs. But, the rule is: if it fills before a year is out, it’s contents must be reexamined and unnecessary ones thrown out.
This task was necessary recently. She tried, but all those things were too cherished. So, when she was at a party, I invaded her private box, chomping at the bit, ready to mercilessly dump some rubbish.
The top item was a picture of Baby Jesus. She had painstakingly colored cows; there were wise men, shepherds and a star. Well, okay, I’ll keep that one.
The next school paper had a note from her teacher: “Elizabeth, I love the way you are so diligent to memorize your bible verses so quickly. Thank you for participating so faithfully in our prayer time, Love, Mrs. Neill.”
Now I was getting angry. The next one was a goner for sure.
‘I LOVE YOU MOM’ was scribbled across a page with a picture she’d drawn of a fat lady (me).
A whole hour. I had planned to demolish this junk yard. Instead, I found myself reading ridiculous dime-store valentines that I’d not taken time to notice in February. I took the time to really notice her she details her paintings. I wept to see and remember the tissue that I’d blotted my lipstick on. She couldn’t bear to thrown away a Mommie Kiss.
All those six years I spent behind four walls with two kids, I sometimes wondered: Where’s the payoff? This is prison, it’s so unappreciated. It seems so pointless – I don’t see any result of all my efforts. I’m just a maid.
Well, God has sent me my paycheck and He is so generous. I’ll be reaping the joy of my children – both holy children, throughout eternity. Take heart, moms. Persevere. Creating a new life in which Christ can dwell is worth all.
Saint Matthew tells us of the things Mary pondered in her heart about her special son THE Holy One. These are the things I have pondered in my heart. God gives us all heart-moments to treasure if we will be still and listen for them. (From 2020 – Well except when they’re teens.)

Always having been a writer, I wrote these down exactly as they happened within days of them happening. (I love journaling.) And yes, she is still as delightful and in love the Jesus as ever. Such a great mom that is faithfully passing down His great Love and teaching her sons about His Holy Word! Would love to hear your input. Yes, I know your kids weren’t as wonderful.