When I was a little girl I remember the collection plate being passed down the pew at church. My mom would reach for her purse, pull a $5 bill out, stuff it in an envelope, seal it, and place her name and envelope amount on the back. Each week she would hand it to one of us kids to drop into the plate as it passed by.
I didn’t understand at the time how much of a sacrifice the $5 was for my mom. A single mother raising four kids on a switchboard operator’s salary, she could not even get a credit card without her husband’s signature.
As I got older I realized how my mother was modeling joyful giving. I grew to idolize her for her commitment to give week after week, year after year, decade after decade.
She, like others in her generation, have kept the lights on in our faith communities through service and joyful giving.
Now that she is aging and on a fixed income, I am starting to think about how I can help support her more and more. But what about the legacy she gave me? What about the commitment in a faith community she instilled in me? There will come a day when the plate comes by and my mom will not be there to pull that $5 bill from her purse to seal into the envelope and drop in the plate.
It is my turn now. It is my turn to be the role model for joyful giving. It is my turn to ensure the financial stability of my faith community so it will be there for my children when they have children.
Kristen West
