So, Mothers Day is upon us; it is my first Mothers Day as a mother. And as I reflect on these past seven months or so as a mom, I just bet you can picture me swelling with pride and soaking up praise. Not so!
As I look at my son, this amazing, smiling, loving, funny little person, I try to accept responsibility for who he is, and I just can't. He is who he is, and we are lucky to have received such a wonderful gift as he from God. Sure, I clothe him, I bathe him, I feed him and keep him safe and warm, but it is what I know is right and what I Am Supposed To Do.
Instead, my thoughts drift (naturally) to my own mother. I think about how she endured years of picking me back up when I fell (both physically and emotionally). Wiping away the tears, the sick and wiping my dirty bum. Doing all that she can to make me a good person. And then I think about the other women in my life who have been mothers to me. Who have built me up and contributed to my character by teaching me things that my own mother could not. My mother-in-law, aunts, teachers, baby-sitters, family friends, bosses and co-workers.
And my thoughts drift further yet, to women who cannot mother their own children and instead choose to be mothers to children who have no mothers. And I think about the women who choose not to mother their own children, but instead devote their lives to making the world a better place for the children who have been left behind.
These are people who deserve the praise.
I was having a conversation recently about children who live in poverty and war, and how the problem seems so great that the little I can contribute is only a drop in the bucket. But we agreed that when you lack the time and money to make a real difference, the best that you can do as a mother is try your hardest to raise your children to be good and loving people. To add one more good person to the world.
So what about me? Ask again in twenty or so years, I just might be swelling with pride and soaking up praise by then. Instead, this year I am offering my own thanks and praise to all the "mothers" out there.
