I come from a long line of love.

And by that, I mean that not only has the Lord blessed me with parents and grandparents who love the Lord, but with an amazing lifetime collection of women who have influenced my life for Him.

I can look back on my life and see no gaps in the chain of women He has sent to minister to me. I may not have recognized it at the time. I may have been longing for something entirely different in a friendship, but He knew what I really needed, and He has been so faithful to meet each need individually.

It's like He's created designer friends and mentors, just for me. His love for me is that extravagant.

So on Wednesdays, from here on, I want to honor women, one by one, whom the Lord has blessed me with. These are the Marys and Marthas that taught me specific lessons, and they deserve a standing ovation for putting up with me and loving me through some tough times. I'm going to make an attempt to put them in chronological order, but I may end up backtracking occasionally.

First up is my mom. I know, pretty unoriginal. I'm not really sure where to put her on my timeline, but she's been there since birth, and I was NOT an easy delivery, so she deserves the first spot.

The greatest gift my mom has given me is the gift of hospitality. She is the ultimate Martha. That woman knows how to run a kitchen and feed a ton of folks, and do it with delight. She taught me how to make people comfortable in my home. I wish I could count the number of times we had extra people at family holidays and dinners. She never thought twice about including someone she recognized as needing connection, and she provided it with great enthusiasm.

Every now and then she gets a little carried away. One year, she had invited a woman to our Christmas dinner. She was careful to instruct us to make eye contact with this woman when we spoke to her, as she was deaf, but seemed to read lips pretty well. I don't remember how it all came about, but at some point I think someone asked her if she had been born deaf. She gave us this puzzled look and said, "I'm not deaf." I'm not sure I've ever had to work so hard to suppress laughter.

But that woman needed us that day. And though some of us may have seemed a little awkward around her, my mom never did.

She has a gift for loving people who are difficult to communicate with. She has a gift for loving people whom others have forgotten about.

I struggle with loving the unlovables. But it isn't for lack of a good example.

Thank you, Mom, for entertaining like Jesus would. Your example has not gone unnoticed.