Thoughts on Mother’s Day

Sometimes we get our feelings hurt when we feel left out or overlooked. It’s important for us to try to remember those around us who we might at times take for granted. Or even worse, who we stop seeing.

One of the things I tried really hard to do as a senior Army wife was to work for the improvement of the quality of life for people who didn’t have a voice, or at least, for some odd reason, seemed to not get a say in the way things were done. If things were being done ‘for’ them, why were they not consulted about the best way to meet their needs? But time and again the Army would forget to talk to those whom they were trying to assist.

At least for a time. Then usually, eventually, some smart person would think, “Why don’t we ask them?” And that was always so helpful. But sometimes we forget the people closest to us. We forget that they are our biggest fans and that they were most probably our biggest cheerleaders when we were younger. I’m thinking today, as it’s Mother’s Day, specifically about our moms.

Moms, for the vast majority of us, are going to ‘be there’ for us. In good times and in bad, when we skin our knee or get our hearts broken, moms will be there to help us heal. It’s a real gift to be a mother. Not every woman gets to be one. Some women choose not to, others would love nothing better, but for various reasons, it’s not ‘in the cards.’ Some women who are mothers have adopted a child or more than one, and the birth mom, out of love for that child, selflessly offers her child to someone who is better equipped to nurture and help the baby so he or she will not suffer undue burdens growing up.

It’s a tough choice, I’m sure, but one made with the best interests of the child in mind and heart. Some mothers who never have a child of their own, even by adoption, become what we term in my faith, spiritual mothers to other people. Most often they become spiritual mothers for other women, younger than they, but not always by much. But these other women find in this spiritual mom someone they can really talk to, someone who gives good advice and unconditional love to them. Many of those spiritual daughters do not have a mother of their own any longer, or maybe they never did or maybe they never had a great relationship with their own mom. Sad, but it happens.

It’s important to realize that mothers give from what they have to give. Sometimes that wasn’t enough for the child, but it’s the best those mothers could do. So, as adults we need to consider that and have the grace to forgive those moms for any shortcomings that made your young life a little bit tougher than it should have been.

I think that mothers who raise up a child or children are truly blessed and I know I am grateful for the kids I was entrusted with, to care for and teach and love. I could never express the joy I have in my heart to this day for having had that experience. My kids are grown now and starting families of their own. And I have to admit, being a grandmother is another joy I could never have imagined. It’s the most fun!

Although, they get older each passing day and so do I. I will enjoy them while I can. Even as I continue to enjoy my children and their spouses. I love how families can continue to expand, always increasing the love with every new person who joins in. More blessings to enjoy and be thankful for.

If you are a mother with children that you’re raising or have raised, if you’re a spiritual mother to one or more other people, or if you’re a superhero birth mom who put the well-being of and desires for a child before your own, Happy Mother’s Day!

Women who know the joys and the heartache of motherhood cannot be replaced. No one will ever know more love or selflessness or humility than a child who was or is loved by a mother. The good mother subordinates her own desires, and very often her own needs, for the good of her children. So sometimes that can cause her to be overlooked or taken for granted. Maybe today is a good day to thank our moms, if we’re lucky enough to still have them. In some cases, maybe it’s time to forgive them, if that’s needed, even if they haven’t asked for forgiveness.

God bless all our mothers, and the children they love. This means you!