This is the acknowledgement to my mother in my first, soon to be released book, More Than Gold (March 2023):

“To my mom, Thank you for being unwavering in your faith, standing strong year after year in the midst of great trauma and personal loss. I will always be grateful for your strength, love, bravery, and steadfast prayers. I’m looking forward to writing our new story together.”

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Ephesians 6:1-3 NIV

The above scripture is one of the few promises in the Bible that come with a condition. If we want life to go well, we must honor our parents. One of the best ways we can honor our parents is through blessing them.

When I understood the power of blessing, I realized that we had never blessed my mother. There are seven critical times of blessing in life. The final blessing is when children bless their parents. This blessing answers the question, “Am I still needed in this world?”

I have such gratitude for my mother. She has never departed from her faith regardless of her circumstances. Her steadfast faith was a beacon to me, even during the years I was not following the Lord. She prayed for her children and grandchildren relentlessly.

In December 2019, during a family Christmas gathering, we decided to bless my mother (my father passed to be with the Lord in 2017). It was a beautiful ceremony as my brother (Darren), my sister (Barb), my daughter (Bryn) and I stood up in front of my mother and declared the blessing below over our mother.

During this time, my mother also declared a blessing over each of us. I would say it was a highlight in our family history and made it a Christmas season to remember forever.

We also had the blessing enlarged and printed out on a large canvas. It is now hanging on the wall in her kitchen. She often reads it and it reminds her of our love for her.

If you have not done so, consider writing a blessing for your parents and making it into a very special occasion that will be remembered for the rest of their lives.

Here is the blessing we wrote for my mother:

Blessing From your Children and Grandchild

We thank you for your nurturance, kindness, steadfastness, and love. You have always welcomed everyone with a big smile and excitement, making everyone feel so loved and accepted.

We bless you as our mother and grandmother. Thank you for never giving up. You are needed. You are so loved and cherished. You are a bright light to all. You are filled with the gift of abundant love. You share your gift with your family and friends. You are kind and compassionate. You are funny and silly. You are fun-loving. You are radiant. You are generous and supportive. You are beautiful and beloved. You are dedicated and never gave up on any of us. You are the rock of our family and never stopped praying and believing. You are a powerful life-giving spirit. You are wise and smart. You have a very special gift of purity. We bless you with health and a sound mind. We declare newness of life and wellbeing. New beginnings. New memories. New peace. New joy. New life. We bless you with hope and a glorious future, to enter it with boldness and courage. You are still learning and growing in all areas of life. You are bravely entering into deep issues and healing. You are supportive. We bless you with good friendships. We bless you with prosperity and happiness in all areas of life. We declare your later days will be far greater than your former and the lost years will be restored. As your days are, so shall your strength be. You have trained up your children in the way they should go. Well done, good and faithful servant! As your name states, you are a mighty spiritual sword filled with the word of God. Brenda (sword) Anne (graceful) Elliott (Jehovah is God). We bless your life to glorify God.

We bless your body. We bless your mind. We bless your will. We bless your emotions. We bless your spirit. We bless you with a life-giving community. We bless you to complete the call on your life. We bless your identity. We bless your destiny. You are uniquely designed and so special. We need you and our family would not be complete without you. You are the matriarch of our family and we honor you. We declare glorious freedom over your life. We bless you with the fulness of the joy of the Lord over your life. We bless you with the joy of His presence. We bless you with perfect peace. We bless you to delight in obedience and in the fear of the Lord. We bless you with wisdom and understanding. We bless you with knowledge, counsel, might and endurance. We bless you with the Spirit of the Lord. We bless you to be filled with the perfect love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We bless your purpose of “empowering abundant love.” This is the real you and who you are by His wonderful design. You were made for such a time as this!

We thank you for the example of your life of love and faith. We declare this as a glorious season of retribution over you and our family. The Lord almighty is on the move! Praise the Lord! We declare over your life “God’s Kingdom Come, God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Great grace. In Jesus name, AMEN! We are so blessed and thankful to have you as a mother and grandmother.

We honor and love you!
Bryan, Darren, Barb and Bryn