We never truly know what our future holds, despite our attempts to plan it. This summer I endured the hardest event of my life: my lovely, kindhearted, and compassionate mother Claudia passed away at 45. During this difficult transition I have experienced God’s love, peace, and compassion thanks to the wonderful support of family, friends, and coworkers at UP.
I recall many small moments with my mother. She read me bedtime Bible stories when I was a child. She helped me move into Christie Hall my freshman year. My mother loved to call at random times just to see how I was doing. I remember how proud she was watching me walk across the Chiles graduation stage to get my diploma.
One of the clearest memories I have is a conversation with my mom a few years ago. I was making plans to head to downtown Portland with friends when she said, “Ezequiel, you should say: ‘If God wills, I’m going downtown.’” This was how my mom lived her life. She always prefaced her plans with, “If God wills...” for everyday tasks which I took for granted: running errands, traveling, and even making the 30-minute drive home for dinner. My mom lived through plenty of hardship, but she never lost her faith that God was with her through it all. It was remarkably inspiring to see someone so resilient, hopeful, and positive despite a life of adversity.
This passage from the Book of James sums up how I reflect on the life my mom lived. She always trusted God’s will for her, even through the most challenging experiences. Now this passage reminds me to do the same. I’ve experienced God’s care for me through my family and friends in this difficult time, and I have peace knowing that during every moment in my future, God will be with me.
Reflection by Ezequiel Delgado-Cervantes '16
