Yesterday I sat in a church service and in advance of today’s celebration there was a tribute given to the mothers among them whether members or not.
It was beautiful to see gifts and affection shown for the women who do so much to nurture and care for their children and others as well. It was an honour to witness this in action.
As I sit writing this entry, I remember the two significant women in my life who are mothers. Before I get to them, it is worth mentioning that I’ve been blessed to have witnessed and been ‘mothered’ by a number of wonderful women down the years. Were I to list them and the wonderful attributes they have shared, it wouldn’t take a blog or a book – but a library! In as much as I can have a number of issues against church, one thing I’ll always commend it for is those marvellous characters in church who exercise their mothering responsibilities with such grace and compassion.
If I knew the secret of being a great mother, I would have to share the profits with the two most influential models of it in my lifetime, those namely being my own Mum and my wife.
With regards to my Mum, I often find myself stopping to ask myself how God could have blessed me with such an amazing woman. You might think that’s a fairly biased statement to make, but I would also ask you, who else would be as informed to know how good a mother she was? The words I say would be more than endorsed by my brother and sister, and as parents ourselves, we value and cherish all the more the example of motherhood.
You have to bear in mind my Mum was part of a family structure that required both parents to work full time. That takes a lot out of both parents, so for my Mum to do that work and still pour a lot of energy into feeding, clothing, mending, encouraging, challenging and consoling for her three children is nothing short of miraculous. She prioritise her family, she exemplified a fierce work ethic to make sure things were set for her husband and children, even at her own deficit. I cannot recall a time of seeing my Mum being selfish in anything, so many chances she had to do so, so many times she always put others first. She is a great role model that I’m glad my daughters have got a hint of whenever they see her or talk to her.
I am sure words, money and material goods will not even begin to say thanks to the love and gratitude I have for all she is and all she has done for my siblings and I. I love my Mum.
My wife was a mother already by the time I met her, so that meant she was already used to what that calls for. It also meant she was established in her own way of doing it, with no pressure from my Mum!
Watching her in action as a mother is a work of beauty. Tireless, fierce, compassionate, committed and never less than mindful of what is needed to look after her children. It’s fascinating watching it alongside her, as opposed to being the recipient of it with my mother. With all three of our children as well as her firstborn, she is nothing less than dedicated to them, and puts in a shift that all her children will likewise grow to appreciate, admire and applaud. My wife is a superb Mother and worthy of the plaudits she’s got from her loving daughters and son today.
Being a mother I think still remains hugely underrated and undervalued in society. It is one of the two most important roles in society, it combines the roles of so many other jobs in society and I despair at how much pressure is being put to squeeze women to do so much by social factors. Whatever the case, however, I will certainly hail the grace, beauty, majesty, devotion and power of a good mother.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 