Why I Am Wearing Red Today
I am wearing red today* because it was Mom’s favorite color.
Mom Slabach always said she didn’t understand why Christian conservative folks didn’t think women should wear read.
Yes, red was a color often worn by harlots, she knew. She’d been reminded of that many times. She didn’t care if that’s what harlots wore, because she wore red, too.
She’d say, “Red also represents salvation — because
the blood of Jesus Christ, His son, cleanses us from all sin.”
So this wife of a Mennonite minister wore red.
Today I remember Mom. And I am wearing red.
Mom loved –
steaming hot coffee,
ice cold Pepsi,
fried bacon,
and delectable ice cream.
Looking at this list makes me smile as I put on my red in honor of a mom who enjoyed life and family fun.
I didn’t know much about raising boys because I grew up in a family of girls. When we started our family, God gave us three of our four boys in a row. I used to think, if I was having a problem with one of my guys, I’d just send them to Grandma. She’d have Sunday school (as her kids called it) and send them back to me, all fixed up. Only thing is, she didn’t get to help raise those boys because she died when the oldest was five and before the youngest was born. I never got to send them to her for Sunday school, but she had prayed for them! She prayed for her kids, her grandkids, and those not yet born.
I wear red in memory of Mom’s Sunday schools. In honor of her prayers, I am wearing red.
I wear red today for the mom who believed in her son Dave and the spunk he possessed; who always said she wouldn’t give a dime for a kid without some spunk – and then prayed and prayed over that spunk and asked God to use it for His kingdom. I wear red today for the memories I cherish of a woman who claimed me and was glad I was loving her Dave.
I reap the blessings of a life well lived, a character well defined, and a faith well practiced. I benefit from the harvest of her commitment to her family and to God and gladly claim her son as mine.
I wear red today in honor of my mother-in-law, who was not just a mentor, but also my friend. There wasn’t a subject that was unmentionable with her, and she didn’t mind delving into the nitty gritty of life. Even when we disagreed, we were friends.
Although cancer took her life, it did not deprive her of her spirit. That is why everyone wanted to help care for her and be there during those last weeks. Mom could make a party out of an event, and none of us wanted to miss the party. I am wearing red in memory of those parties!
Twenty-five years ago we stood by her bed and watched her face change from agony to peace, calmness, and rest. We watched her lips change from a grimace into a beautiful smile. Oh yes. She smiled.
Ah, that smile! I remember it still. When we saw that smile, we knew that Mom had Arrived! She fought the fight, she finished her course, she kept the faith. Mom finished well.
I wear red today because she won the Victory.
Today, I am wearing red, in honor and in celebration.
I wear red today, not with tears, but with joy.
Happy 25th Anniversary of your Arrival in Heaven, Mom!
Watching Mom fight that dreadful disease of cancer was not easy. Caring for her was a privilege and a blessing. That journey of grief and gallantry is chronicled in the book Aren’t We Having Fun Dying?!. The title of the book is a direct quote from Mom two weeks before her Arrival. Each chapter title is a quote from Mom during her last months here on earth. For more information about this book, you can visit this page.
[some wording/quotes come from (my) book “Aren’t We Having Fun Dying?!”
*the anniversary of Mom’s arrival in Heaven is March 16.
