Today, my Mom (Kay Gunter) is on my mind. If you don’t know her, that is too bad. She has a laugh that is inexplicably delightful. She laughs from her belly. She laughs loud and boisterous, the kind of laugh you can hear from far away locations, like from Atlanta to Toledo. She laughs in a way that makes everyone in the room happier for being there.
Additionally, my Mom is sweet and kind. She visits EVERYONE in nursing homes, hospitals, dungeons, caves, sewers, and every other rough place people who are fortunate enough to know my Mom end up. Seriously, my entire life has been filled with her serving people who are down, forgotten, or hurt, in every conceivable way.
When I was in high school, Mom helped in raising money for the Quarterback Club by selling Henderson High sweat suits during lunch periods at school. She was there several times each
week. Ended up that many of the kids who didn’t have friends, didn’t have people to eat with, would end up sitting around and eating with Mom at her sweat suite table just outside of the cafeteria. They loved her. True story.
Mom taught youth group Sunday school for over 20 years. She practically adopted the girls from broken homes. She has delivered birthday cookies to countless girls over the years. To this day, Mom hand writes over 300 Christmas cards each year to EVERY student she ever taught. Amazing.
Mom taught me how to serve people. Mom taught me how to sacrifice for people. Mom taught me that people undervalued by society are those that we need to value the most. I will have to live to be 90 in order to love more people in Jesus’ name than my Mom has.
As I type, Mom has 4 radiation treatments left for her cancer. This is her second go around with this awful disease. The first was back in 2004. That time, things were much worse. She had surgery, followed by 10 months of radiation and chemo therapy. It was brutal seeing my dear, dear Mom so worn down by this process. We were THRILLED with the outcome. . . cancer free for the past 7+ years. This latest episode seems to be much better. After surgeries in December and February, she only needed 33 radiation treatments and then things ought to be fine. She has 4 left.
Here’s the deal, though, living overseas is most difficult during times such as this. I HATE not being with loved ones during times of stress and pain, especially my dear Mom. Though pragmatically I could add little to nothing to her life right now, it’s still rough to not be there. Definitely one of the not so glamorous sides of the life I have chosen.
As a result, I simply ask that you pray for my dear Mom, Katherine Seckinger Gunter.
Thank you.
John,
What a wonderful tribute to your wonderful mom! She is all you said and more. I have been blessed to know her for over fifty years. She is very precious to me!
Love,
Carol
Hey Mrs. Boggs, I agree. Hope you guys are doing well!
Love your mom (and Dad)! What a wonderful tribute to her-she is a precious woman of God! I’ll pray for her full recovery again! Hang in there being so far away. The LORD has your sweet momma in His hands!
Thanks Lisa!
I wish I knew your mother…she sounds very special and believe me, as a parent of adult children, she is blessed to have you as a son. Wish we were sitting down having tea together, talking about your wonderful stories of her.
Brad, sounds like a plan for next time I am in Atlanta! Thanks for reading and the kind words. Hope you guys are well.
John…I appreciate your words about your mom and Ellie and I will be praying for her. Let’s catch up soon.
Keith. . . great hearing from you! Thanks for the prayers. I mainly enjoy folks that are over here. Also, Seth Godin, tentblogger, lifehaker, Christianity Today, Ed Stetzer, Harvard Buiness School, Grantland, and a bunch others. I’ll have to post those up sometime.
Thanks for sharing about your mom John. Glad that she’s almost done with her treatments. Hope both you and your mom are and will continue to be well.
John, so glad to have found your blog! I’ve now read the previous posts, but what a special post for me to read first. The tribute to your precious mom is so sweet and brings back so many wonderful memories of times I was blessed to hang out in the Gunter home as a teenager! I’ve always held your parents in such high esteem. They always shine the light and love of the Lord!
Looking forward to being able to follow your blog and stay informed of your journey!
Peace, Love & Blessings,
Molly (Painter) Moore
Hey Molly, great hearing from you! Thanks for your kind feedback and encouragement. If Dad helps Mom with the computer, I’m sure she will read your comment and be very grateful. I hope you are well!
Hey John, I just read all your blog posts. It’s really fun and makes me sad we’re not in the same place in the world at the moment. I’m excited to keep up with you through this. And great tribute to your mom! I will definitely pray!
love you bro,
Hoffman
Hey Hoff, thanks a ton. Yeah, I really do miss not having you guys over here. It was wonderful having you guys back this winter. Thanks for your friendship!
So touching. Thank you for sharing. What a wonderful lady. I love that the high school kids wanted to sit with her and that she still writes to all of her youth group students! What a huge, loving, serving heart she has! Praying.
Thanks!
Your mother’s example of Christ’s love is truly inspirational! I’m blessed to have had tea with her during my visit. We will definitely keep her in our prayers! She is incredibly amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Paula, great hearing from you. . . I have your Christmas card on my desk, so I see/think of you guys daily!
Kay is a Child of the King, John’s mother, Wyman’s wife but I claim her as a dear friend all these years and yes I am a witness to what John said about his mother and Jesus will say well done my child. On my thank you notes I have at the bottom the following–“Lord, may we be like a hearty tree planted by living waters; and that each season we bear fruit and our leaves never stop growing”. Spring is here and leaves are growing as part of God’s plan and Kay’s leaves are growing as part of God’s plan that He has had for her all these years. Shirley and I have been the beneficiaries of Kay and Wyman’s love so many times in our lives. And John I had already prayed for you this morning and try to pray for you every day as well as your mother
Mr. Lussi, thank you for your kind and elegant words. You are a hero to our entire family and we love you guys.
John, so nice to be able to visit in this way! My heart goes out to your Mom as well as you being at a distance from her at this time. I love the underlying message of your Mom’s life …. Love never fails and is always conserved into the future. Scott
Hey Scott, thanks for your words and friendship. . . look forward to the next time we can share a meal!
You forgot to mention she had to put up with your friend Sam Shin growing up. haha Mrs Gunter is awesome
I think it’s healthy for us to just move past certain areas of our lives. . . Sammy might be one of those.
always enjoyed lunch with Mrs Gunter @ HHS
You were too busy losing in 4-square in the Senior Courtyard.
John, Danny just forwarded this to me. My heart aches for your sweet mom, as I know the exhaustion that comes from both radiation and chemo. My mom has been battling lung cancer. When I think/pray for my mom, I will now add your mom.
Blessings friend and brother,
Christy for the McKinneys’
Thanks Christy. . . hope things are well.
Love this so much! Mama Gunter is one of the most influential people in my life, and this post is a truly wonderful tribute to her. 🙂 Continuously praying for her and complete healing.
Thanks Hayley, I’ll make sure Dad shows Mom your comment.
Hey John…Your mom IS a wonderful, generous, loving woman! So glad we have had the opportunity for 21 years now to be friends through being in-laws/out-laws to your sister, Becky. I look forward to reading your blog! She continues, as always, to be in our prayers!
Thanks Mrs. Bracher. . . hope you guys are well!
We’re doing pretty well, John..Glad to see you are fine!
!
John,
Your Momma is Salt of the Earth! Every time I see her my day brightens 100 fold. I hope prayerfully the good Lord will heal her again. Know how you feel being so far away, and not being able to be there with her. Don’t worry, the good Lord has you just where he wants you for now.
Semper fi,
Bryan L. Carson
Thanks, my friend.
Praying for the Lord’s continued blessing upon that which He has given to you.
Thanks Michael!
John,
Sunday morning (April 22) I arrived home after an overnight walking with several thousand college students and amazing cancer survivors at a Relay for Life event in D.C. So when I read your blog I was primed and motivated to pray for your Mom. I only met her once, but I have heard the stories and seen her influence through her pretty amazing son. It is humbling to see how far reaching the influence of parents, literally around the world. I will keep praying for her, right along with you and all that you are doing. Keep pressing on and holding on brother. (And thanks for starting the blog!)
In His Grace and Grip!
Bob Nichols
Bob, thank you so much for the note. . .it has been way too long! I hope you are well.
John, thanks for posting this and inviting us in. We love you and stand beside you in prayer for your mom
Rankin, honored you took the time to read this. . . your friendship means the world to me. Thanks!
John, you couldn’t have given a more perfect description of your mother’s heart. She has a truly special gift for expressing God’s love to those who need it most.
I love your description of her laugh! I get to experience it so often on our walks together and can’t help but notice people turning to look when she belts one out. I love your blog!
Thanks Mrs. Reagin!
She is pretty awesome, I know from experience!! I see much of her serving heart and kindness in you John. I guess we have a pretty good gene pool (yes Dad, yours too)!!
Thanks, Becky. . . love you. Hope you guys are well!
You definitely serve sacrifically, all the time. Thankful that you got that from your mom. Great post
Thanks Anne Marie. . . it has been a joy getting to know you so much better this year. You are going to be MASSIVELY missed by all of us!
As one of her former Sunday School students, I can confirm that she does indeed send Christmas cards to former students. I could actually hear her laugh as you described it. She’s been such an encouragement to me through the years. Mrs. Gunter is a real life rock star!
Hey Andrew, thanks for the comment. I’ll make sure Dad shows Mom. She is not the most computer save person I know.
I love living with a ROCK STAR
Wyman Gunter
Dad, you guys are one and the same at this point. Love you both!
John, I agree with everything you said about your mom! I just looked at comments for the first time, and am glad so many share the same good memories with your family as I do. Riley and I heve been blessed to know them almost forever, and look forward to continuing truly forever!
Hey BB, thanks for your comment. It has been wonderful having you guys around for my entire life. We all miss Big Riley very much and have nothing but great memories of the entire Stephens family.
Prayers going up for your Dear Sweet Mom. I know you are a Blessing to her, she must be soooooo proud to have you as her son. Hugs!!