A Special Sunday...
Yeah, it's Mother's Day, and that always meant something to me growing up.
Dad and I would "sneak" out early and get Mom some hyacinths (she loved them and it made the house smell nice).
We would have a special service at our church where all the moms would get plants along with a great sermon about the similarity between that plant and what it means to be a mother.
Moms are special creatures, and I think God planned it that way.
(doesn't He always?)
They are the ones that are ALWAYS there for us...no matter what.
And how often do we come to expect them to be there, and perhaps grow complacent in the knowledge that "mom will take care of it", whatever "it" might be?
Well, there comes that time when mom is no longer available.














You turn around, looking for mom, and she's gone.
Happened to me back in 1998, and I admit freely that there is not ONE day that passes when I don't think of her.
I try to do things as she would want, because all the stuff she told me and instructed me on as I was growing up sooner or later made perfect sense.
It all WAS for "my own good", as she was fond of saying.
Yet, even with such a legacy that she left me, I have this profound sense of loss...and longing.
I recall times when Mom would pull me in my wagon to see grandpa who worked a mile or so from where we used to live in Philly.
Back then, you COULD tow a toddler along the streets and NOT get accosted. And those rides always netted me a nice shiny QUARTER.
I remember all the hurts that were kissed away (band-aids not withstanding), the stern looks that told me I was wrong, and the smiles when she saw me happy.
There was her cooking, her want to always do the right thing, and the desire to get her point across, and she would stand toe-to-toe with you to prove it.
Not bad for a five foot tall woman.
But she represented more than just "my Mom"...
She was one of many who worked in factories during WW2, as our men fought overseas, learned how to scrimp and save during our Great Depression, as was taught to her by HER parents, became a talented seamstress, and balanced a job, a child and a household all with (seemingly) one hand tied behind her back.
An amazing person is a mother.
And whenever I do something and then realize that's it's the same manner in which SHE would do it, I can't help but smile.
Like I say: "She done good...she done REAL good."
She was interred with my Father back in Philly...1100 miles away, and I can see plain-as-day where they currently rest.
I can also see the Sunday dinners prepared, the laundry being hung upon the lines (and we did have a dryer - she liked the smell of the outdoors better), and the way she ALWAYS made any house we lived into a REAL HOME.
Yeah...Moms do that...and all too well.
Today, we have more single moms than ever (for whatever reason), and I know a LOT of them are doing a bang-up job in carrying on many of the traditions that MY Mom had (as her mom before her).
They are STILL teaching values to their children...values that will serve them all well in THEIR futures.
They are also juggling more...and many times, with a lot less than OUR mothers did, but still, they work through and manage.
These mothers are our teachers, our troops, our factory workers, our business workers, and yes, even our firefighters and police officers.
And today, we acknowledge THEIR devotion...THEIR service, and THEIR willingness to make the impossible possible...that of being a mentor, a parent, a role model, and about several dozen MORE personas they choose to take upon them, simply because of WHO THEY ARE.
Oh yes, God in His infinite wisdom KNEW FULL WELL what He was doing when he created a MOM.
And I shall never forget what SHE has done for me.
We would all be better to remind ourselves of that, not just for today, but every day.
We are all made better because of Mom...and it IS for OUR OWN GOOD.
To ALL you Moms out there, I wish you the very best that Mother's Day has to offer.
May all your blessings come to pass.
May you continue to BE blessed as well.
(Thanks, Mom...for everything)