Some (belated) Mother's Day reflections

Note: I wrote this on Mother's Day, but looks like I hit "Save Now" button instead of "Publish Post".


First, I should tell you right off the bat, I'm not a big fan of Mother's Day. I'll tell you why in a minute, but keep that in mind when I say that this was probably the nicest Mother's Day I can remember.

Ok, so I do love being able to honour my own mother on Mother's Day. She deserves every bit of love and honour that she receives. My mom is Simply. Incredible. She is, and I say this with absolutely NO bias whatsever (smile) The World's Greatest Mom. Ever.

Mom is kind and generous and self-sacrificing and utterly undemanding. She was born to be a mother. And now that she has raised her own children, she has turned her attention to children in our neighbourhood whose own mothers, for whatever reason, have difficulty raising their own children. You might recall that she runs a school breakfast program at a public school in our neighbourhood. Some of those kids come because there's not enough food in the house; some come because their moms must leave early in the morning to work to support them and aren't home to fix breakfast and see them off to school; others come because their moms have been out too late the night before and can't (or can't be bothered) to get up and feed their kids in the morning. (I'm sorry. That sounded harsh I know. For what it's worth, the can't-be-bothered moms are few. It just makes me sad that's all.)

Anyways, my mom strives to give the "Breakfast Club" kids not just a meal, but a real family atmosphere to get them started in the morning. She makes the rounds each morning, chatting with the kids, asking about their day ahead and encouraging them as she is able. She gets to know them. She notices when a child needs a pair of socks, or a hat or mitts (yes, even coats or boots) and makes sure one is found for the child. She pays extra attention to the kids who need it: the hard-to-love kids, the social outcasts and the naughty ones. They are more than just little empty bellies to her. And she is more than just the "breakfast lady" to them. She loves them because Jesus loves them. I dare say she is much like a grandma to many of those kids. I am honoured and humbled to be able to share my mom with them.

I, on the other hand, am not a natural born mother. Mothering comes hard for me. Even with my mother's excellent example, I fall so short of the mark, and Mother's Day is a reminder of all that I am not.

Today, I shared this thought with my pastor's wife, Elizabeth. This is how she ministered to me: "Oh no, Anita (she said) no, don't you do that. You are who God made you to be. Exactly as He planned with the gifts that he wanted for you. And you share those gifts with your family. For the rest, there is grace." (Ok, I'm paraphrasing a bit here...but this is the gist of it.)

Elizabeth, if you happen to stop by here, thank you. God's grace IS sufficient for me. Sometimes I must be reminded of that. *smile* Thank you for your words - they were an unexpected, but treasured, Mother's Day gift.