Moms & Dots – Strengthening the SUSIE Sisterhood

By, Marsha Campbell

SUSIE Magazine presented the 2011 Christmas Challenge to its readership of adolescent girls to join December cover girl, Anna Lipscomb in participating in a different kind of Christmas—raising money to “gift” teen girls in Haiti.  The competition was on, and the winners would travel with a team of mothers and daughters to Haiti in the summer of 2012.

Spring forward…the first GO Project, Moms and Dots (daughters) trip to Haiti was launched.

As a daughter and a mother with daughters, I reflected on one of my favorite social scientists, Dr. Erma Bombeck’s research on the creation of mothers.

“When God Created Mothers”

When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into His sixth day of “overtime” when the angel appeared and said. “You’re doing a lot of fiddling around on this one.”

And God said, “Have you read the specs on this order?” She has to be completely washable, but not plastic. Have 180 moveable parts…all replaceable. Run on black coffee and leftovers. Have a lap that disappears when she stands up. A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair. And six pairs of hands.”

The angel shook her head slowly and said. “Six pairs of hands…. no way.”

It’s not the hands that are causing me problems,” God remarked, “it’s the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have.”

That’s on the standard model?” asked the angel. God nodded.

One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks, ‘What are you kids doing in there?’ when she already knows. Another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn’t but what she has to know, and of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say. ‘I understand and I love you’ without so much as uttering a word.”

God,” said the angel touching his sleeve gently, “Get some rest tomorrow….”

I can’t,” said God, “I’m so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick…can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger…and can get a nine year old to stand under a shower.”

The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly. “It’s too soft,” she sighed.

But tough!” said God excitedly. “You can imagine what this mother can do or endure.”

Can it think?”

Not only can it think, but it can reason and compromise,” said the Creator.

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek.

There’s a leak,” she pronounced. “I told You that You were trying to put too much into this model.”

It’s not a leak,” said the Lord, “It’s a tear.”

What’s it for?”

It’s for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness, and pride.”

You are a genius, ” said the angel.

Somberly, God said, “I didn’t put it there.”

― Erma Bombeck, When God Created Mothers

I have to confess there were a lot of “leaks” between Moms & Dots over the next few days. On this trip, the Moms were asked to take a back seat and let their daughters lead with their devotions and thoughts each day.  The daughters were a mirror, reflecting  love, compassion and servant leadership that they had been nurtured with.  It was a beautiful prism in which to see into the hearts of each. As daughters of every age, we became sisters of the heart through our experience with each other and the sweet children of Haiti.

As one sister-daughter  captured so well in her blog:

“Even though we are different in many ways, we are all children under the same heavenly Father…I am encouraged with how the Pastors of these villages are raising up these children.  They are the hope…future leaders of Haiti.  The thing that inspired me the most was realizing that no matter what these kids have gone through or where they came from, they are proof of the everlasting love of an everlasting Father…

This was one of those ‘thunk on the melon’  moments where God said,  ‘Hey, do you see this?  Yeah, that is what your life should be about.  Helping others, not yourself.’”

I love these Moms & Dots; I love that we are all beloved daughters of an amazing heavenly Father and that we became sisters of the soul, one to the other!

I love the wisdom that comes from the young.  They are our future as we are their bridge.

Thanks be to God for all the “heavenly  leaks and thunk on the melon moments”  we shared together.

Enjoy reading  the blogs of the “Dots”….
Through Emily’s Eyes
Through Avery’s Eyes
Through Anna’s Eyes
Through Joslynn’s Eyes