The Legend of Karen Fields

On April 15, 1981 I took the most significant car ride of my life. An attorney drove me from Forest Grove, Oregon to Salem, Oregon, delivering me from the arms of one unknown woman into the arms of a woman who would be known to me as mommy.

When I was handed to Karen Fields, legend has it (according to my grandmother), the first thing she said was, "Mom, isn't she beautiful?" And there I was. God had directed one woman to choose life when the highest courts of the United States had deemed it legal for her to make a medical choice about her unplanned pregnancy.

Grace covers the beginning of my relationship and permeates it throughout.

One thing that I associate most with my mother is the selflessness she demonstrated as a true hallmark of motherhood. When I was little, she stayed home, a sacrifice not readily made by many. She demonstrated to me that my sister and I were always a priority over any personal dreams or goals she may have had outside the home. She didn't buy things for herself, and admits even today that she feels guilty sometimes for buying something for herself! She has conditioned her heart and mind to always be last- putting her children and grandchildren first.

My mother never allowed any shadow of doubt to be cast about the priority of motherhood. She worked only when she had to, and even then strove to be home as much as possible to provide stability when our family was broken by divorce. No one else had to take me to doctor appointments, or come to my sports events because my mom was always there. Being an involved presence as a mother was never compromised by outside factors.

This stamp was pressed hard into my life, and as I grew up learning more of God's Word, the example that she demonstrated of the mother busy at home was solidified as truth.

Now it is a joy to follow in my mother's footsteps as a stay-at-home mom, focused on the daunting task of raising godly children and being obedient to the call of motherhood that God has placed on my life. She had left a solid legacy that I am proud to follow as I strive to sacrifice self and all that entails from the new clothes, to outside-the-home aspirations.

So thank you, mom. Thank you for being an instrument of grace. Your selflessness as a mother has set the tone for God's Word to captivate my conscience, and for me to follow your example in prioritising family over self. That grace flows through the Lute home as everyday grace from above, as Norah and Haddon learn and grow.