Mother

I have been thinking about the word mother lately, especially since Mother's Day was just a few weeks ago. There was a song I sang when I was young about Mother:

"M" is for the million things she gave me
"O" means only that she's growing old
"T" is for the tears she shed to save me
"H" is for her heart of purest gold
"E" is for her eyes with love-light shining
"R" means right and right she'll always be
Put them all together they spell MOTHER,a word that means the world to me.

This song was written by a Howard Johnson in 1915 and is only one of the verses. I don't necessarily agreed with all the words in the verse above but it is an expression of one man's devotion to his mother.

We do love and appreciate our mothers who are selfless, nurturing and protective. They are our first impression of love we feel as they hold us close, feed us, sing to us, touch us, their tenderness convinces us of the goodness and rightness of life. They love us with an everlasting and unconditional love.

Mothers have been honored for years and yet there are others who deserve the honor of mothering. We all know women, some who do not have children of their own, that give sacrificially, out of love, to children and continue as those children grow into adulthood. These women, like mothers, are God-given treasures to us.

I loved my own mother and mother-in-law, almost more than I can express, I thank God for mothers. It is God who established the family and created each of us to be male and female. He knew we would need mothers and fathers who bring their unique qualities and perspectives that mold us through our formative years.

As much as mothers are adored and praised, being a mother is more than enough.
Mothering is watching, giving, forgiving, loving, protecting, holding, rocking, feeding, healing, encouraging, teaching, listening, laughing, sorrowing, praying, doing, washing, cooking, cleaning, driving, cheering, styling, buying, advising, thanking and also crying. For me, mothering was and is humbling, that God would entrust me with the precious gift of a child to raise. I always had to remind myself that each one was only a temporary gift for each was his own person and I was there to guide and care for a little while until they were able to leave the nest. The nest is empty now and I am grateful for the many years of mothering and the memories and joys of those busy years.

So on this day and everyday, I am thankful to God for granting me the privilege of being a mother.



My sons, with the mothers of their children. Now, "Grandmother", that is another blog post.