Though mothers are thought of and remembered all year through, Mother’s Day is a special time to be thinking of her. Though my mother and both of my mother-in-laws, whom I had been blessed, are no longer with us, their love and devotion to their families lives on in the hearts of their loved ones. Grandmothers also hold a special place in our hearts. Along with our mothers and mother-in-laws, they are shaping us, or have shaped us, into who we are today.
A mother’s love and dedication to her family are God given. The sacrifices given to her loved ones often go unnoticed until she is no longer with us. I’m sure you have a lot of those precious times with your mother to look back on. For me, it was all the time and effort my mother put into taking her three daughters miles to the local swimming pools each hot summer and driving us once a week to piano lessons. It’s now realizing my mother never cared to go shopping all day, but somehow she managed to drive her daughters, along with their friends, miles away. She would often sit in the middle of a shopping mall waiting patiently on us for hours. It’s all the time watching and cheering her daughters and grandchildren in their efforts in sports, music and dramatics. All the clothes washed in the wringer machine, meals cooked for the large family dinners often held once a week, the meals transported to the fields, volunteering to teach Sunday School and Vacation Bible School classes, and seeing the daughters were dressed just right. The times mother kissed the pain of a cut away, or the way she sat by our bedside when we didn’t feel well. There were many times my mother pushed us on when we were ready to give up. There were certainly all of the mother teachings and her understanding when things just didn’t turn out the way we had hoped they would.
With my mother-in-laws I learned much. One taught me some things so simple and yet so meaningful such how to turn a Holly Hock flower into a dancing queen when placed upside down in a bowl of water. She taught me how to make my husband’s favorite dish. One taught me how much patience it took as she raised her seven children. The other mother-in-law taught me a lot of lessons in life including how to set a proper table for a formal meal, the importance of getting the family all together and assuring me of my importance within her family. She would spoil me with special gifts that, of course, I told her wasn’t necessary. I always knew I was loved with those two women, and I am so thankful I told them that many times.
Grandmothers are such a benefit to the family. A person can learn so much from them. They are an extension of our lives. They can tell us so much and are wonderful teachers. But we need to take the time to listen and have time with them. Oh, the stories they can share! From my two, I learned the importance of reading, sewing, gifting, the appreciation of music, reading my Bible, how to make the best jelly and a no crust apple pie, the importance of gardening and the love for flowers. How they loved their families, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I feel for those who never had the chance to know their grandparents as I’m thankful I was able to have a lot of time with my two sets of grandparents.
Of course there are those other special women who are playing or have played a special place in our hearts such as aunts and great- aunts, a certain neighbor woman, women whom we have or are working with, and those women within our churches. They all give of themselves and should be remembered Mother’s Day.
If you are still blessed with that special woman in your life, here’s hoping you will think of them on Mother’s Day. Happy Mother’s Day!
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