My late husband was a preacher and pastor for more than 60 years. He had a habit of closing his Mothers’ Day sermon with almost the same few sentences.

It did not seem to matter the formal title, or necessarily a particular passage of Scripture he used, it always ended the same.

Many years ago, I heard someone say, “Preachers don’t retire. They just ‘Interim.’ I was fortunate to travel with him when he filled in for an ill or vacationing pastor, and he went regularly to fill in when a pastor moved to another church.

One thing I can tell by the dates I wrote in the margins of my Bible, was that I heard some sermons several times.

But his Mothers’ Day sermon always ended with these words: “If your Mother is still living and she lives close by so you can go see her today, YOU GO SEE HER. If she lives too far away or in another state, YOU CALL HER.”

And sometimes he would share a memory of his own mother.

If you did not fulfill this pastor’s request this year, you have approximately 50 Sundays before next Mother’s Day. Perhaps you could start a beneficial routine.

I have a daughter-in-law who calls her mother every Sunday. I also have a former neighbor who does the same thing. Sounds like a good idea to me and you’ll have no regrets.

Donna Allen Smith, former Vidalia resident