The Day Approaches [RANT]

Many years ago, in a small town known as Grafton, West Virginia, a little girl loved her mother very much. As she grew into womanhood, her love for her mother deepened. People celebrated Columbus for discovering America and  Saint Patrick for driving the snakes out of Ireland. Why wasn’t there a day to celebrate mom’s?

Thanks to Anna Jarvis, the second Sunday in May offers us reflection on the everyday superheroes who go by such names as Mom, Mama, Mother, Maman, Madre, and to some confused youth: Bruh. 

Even mothers who seem unworthy of the name find their children thinking of them on this of all days. I have seen a daughter excited to spend all her meager savings for a mother who couldn’t bother to see her kids when their residences were less than a half mile apart. I’ve seen a mother insult her adult child, only to have said child come running the moment she was needed.

There is a bond between mother’s and their children. It grows stronger when the mother cares for and nurtures her young. So we should celebrate mothers and the millions of little ways they say, “I love you?”

Has your mother ever:

Kissed your injured knee

Or held your hand when you were nervous

Or hummed or sung you to sleep

Has she ever made you breakfast

Or remembered your favorite treat

Or baked you a cake

Or told you about where you came from 

Or cleaned up after you

Or offered you advice

Or listened when you went on endlessly about your favorite thing

Or made sure you had at least one present under the tree

Do you know that she probably:

Prayed for you every day

Worried about the world you are born into 

Gave up something she wanted for something you wanted

Felt like she could never do enough for you

We are lucky to have mothers. And, of course, the wise ones know that they are lucky to have children. And we are lucky to have our aunties and friends and peers who help to nurture us in our own way.

So even if you can’t make it to a little church in a little town, make time to be grateful that one woman chose to give you life and that she or another woman raised you and cared for you. And if you weren’t fortunate enough to have the that second part, my heart goes out to you.