Many things a Mother is to a child

Mother’s Day will be celebrated this weekend, Sunday, May 12. But what is a mother to a child? As you know, I have three brothers and three sisters, and we would all agree that our mother had a lot to do with how we all grew into adulthood. My Mother and I disagree sometimes. It seemed to be worse during my teenage years, but as I grew older, I began to appreciate all she has done to teach, encourage, and inspire me (all seven of us) to make the right choices in life. It could not have been easy raising all seven of us and working.

Being mothers, we have all had challenges that have shaped us into who we are today. A friend once described a mother as leading, learning, listening, laughing, and living in the moment, sometimes tired and grumpy, which is normal. I believe we mothers have all been there.

One of the biggest challenges of being a mother is knowing when to talk and listen. My mother and I would have the best talks in the kitchen. It was a tiny kitchen, which is why it made it the best place in our house to talk. No more than three or four people could stand in the kitchen; it was very small, especially compared to designer kitchens today. I remember one particular talk in my mother’s kitchen about why I was not attending church. I had been out of high school for a couple of years, and my mother told me how important it was to fellowship and attend church service. I guess I thought I had more important things to do. I attended church every day in Catholic school and on Sundays. I even told my mother I had read the Bible and did not need to go every Sunday. I remember she looked up from the mixing bowl and said, “Estelle, you have not read the whole Bible. I have read the Bible and know how long it takes to read it.” She knew me all too well. “I admitted that I had not read all the books in the Bible yet. We talked some more, and I learned that attending church was more than just knowing the Bible. At the time, I did not know the Lord as my Savior. My mother was letting me know, in a way, that I needed to personally know my Lord and Savior, and I would not make that decision until a year later.

Helen Steiner Rice has written a beautiful poem about mothers that I would like to share.

A MOTHER'S LOVE By Helen Steiner Rice