Mother's Day

This article was originally published in the Franklin News-Post.

For more than 100 years, children in the United States have been honoring their mothers with homemade trinkets, handmade greeting cards, flowers, a meal, and other gifts.  The second Sunday in May has been set aside as a day to thank our moms for all that they do for us.  Everyone of us walking this earth has or had a mother.  No different than most other children, I am grateful for my mom.


Over the past couple of years, there is an animated drawing that has made its way around popular social media platforms.  It depicts a cast of a dozen characters that would be needed to replace mom and afford her a complete day of rest on this day.  It includes a chauffeur, chef, housekeeper, nurse, etc.  It brings a smile to my face when I see it, because of the element of truth that exists in it.


As I was growing up, my mom was a mother to her own six children.  She helped with her sister’s five children after her sister died.  She worked the night shift at the local hospital.  And she managed 100 apartment units.  She was a hard-working woman that did so much, for so many, putting her personal needs aside.  Just last month, my former high school football coach told me that he doesn’t have any idea how he would have succeeded in those first years of coaching were it not for my mother.  He said whatever he needed, from organizing the end of year celebrations, to raising money for the team, to painting the football goal posts, he could call on my mother.


There was never a doubt that we were loved.  We didn’t have everything we wanted.  But, we had everything we needed.


On November 15, 2015, my mom visited a church in Bassett, VA named House of Purpose with me.  This church is pastored by the man that was involved in a fatal motorcycle that claimed the lives of her eldest son and his wife.  Some months following her first visit to this church, the pastor asked me, “Did you see what your mom did for me that first visit?”  I confessed that I had missed it.  He shared that my mom had shown him a mother’s love.  He said that she came to him and took his face in her hands.  She spoke words of life and love into his life.  She spoke forgiveness into his life.  He told me how it impacted him so.  This woman who had every right to not want to see this man again expressed that she couldn’t imagine the pain that he was carrying.  She acknowledged how much hurt he was carrying.  She told him that she didn’t want his life to be destroyed by what had happened.  That’s my mom.


The bible is filled with incredible women who were mothers.  Many of these women made incredible sacrifices for their children and others in their lives.  Proverbs 31 speaks of the qualities of women and makes specific references to their role as mothers.  Proverbs 31: 27-29 (NLT) She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.  Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all.”


Yes, my mom is a Proverbs 31 woman.  My dad married up.  One thing my dad showed me was the importance of a great woman in his life.  I, too, married up.  My helpmate, my wife is also a Proverbs 31 woman.  If you have been following along with this column over the past few months, you have read about many of the ways in which my wife has poured into my life.  Our daughters also make the claim that they have the World’s Greatest Mom.


So, wherever you find yourself, take a moment to offer a special prayer to our Creator.  Thank God for your mother.  If you still have your mom in your life, let her know how much you love and appreciate her.  Assign her the title of World’s Greatest Mom.  But, between you and me, I already know who holds this title.


Happy Mother’s Day!