Justice, Well Being, Knowledge and Faith

This weekend, a young woman who grew up in our church is being ordained as an ELCA pastor.  What a great day for her and the people who love her. While I don't know her personally, I do know and have great respect her mom, a woman whose story inspires me.

Life has not always been easy for the public school teacher and single mother of four.  As we all know, sometimes things just don't work out as planned.  For her, that meant a challenging marriage and a difficult divorce.  Still, you don't need to know my friend for long to know she is a woman of great strength and spirit.  She took the high road, which was also often the hard road, in order to carve out a better life for her and her family.  She's the kind of woman who makes the rest of us want to stand up and cheer.  I'm always amazed by women like her who overcome life's challenges with grace and strength.

This weekend, when her daughter is ordained, she will sit inside the church the proud mother of four grown children.  Four children raised by a woman who didn't just dream of a better life, she made it happen.  A woman who would settle for nothing less than a life of justice, well being, knowledge and faith.  Qualities she passed on to her children - the lawyer, the doctor, the teacher, and the pastor - and inspired them to share with the world.