A mother’s love

Happy Mother’s Day!

You may not be a mother. But, you have a mother (even if she has gone on to heaven); thus, the Happy Mother’s Day wish.

My mother went to be with Jesus nearly twenty years ago. Her death was unexpected and I wasn’t ready (are we ever ready?) We lived on the same road and drove by my mother’s home each time we left our house. The next Spring following her passing, the flowers in her yard bloomed just as always.

At the sight of that familiar clump of spring flowers, my young daughter began to cry.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” I took my mind off the long list of tasks I needed to accomplish and focused on my little one in the back seat.

“Grandma’s flowers are blooming.” She pointed to the brave buttercups, their bright faces aglow in the morning sun. “I miss her.”

Tears leaked from my eyes as I struggled to find my voice. “I know. I miss her, too.” I stopped the car to get a better view of the golden blossoms. “But, we have good memories, don’t we?”

She sniffed. “Yes, but I’d rather have my Grandma.”

So would I. At my mother’s funeral, a dear cousin hugged me and said, “I know what you’re feeling. I miss my mother every day.”

She was right. I still miss my mother every day. But, I have more than memories and the buttercups that have continued to bloom every year. I have the legacy of love that my mother left me.

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. Proverbs 31:25-26

My mother was kind, compassionate, and patient. She was a firm, but loving disciplinarian. My mother expected me to work hard, do my best, and treat others with respect. She modeled noble character and service to others.

She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. Proverbs 31:20

I believe a mother’s love (and a father’s) is the closest human example to God’s love. God, of course, is God and we can never measure up to His infinite capacity for love, grace, and mercy. But, a parent’s love comes very close. A loving and devoted parent models good behavior, disciplines their children with loving firmness, loves unconditionally, and hopes and expects the best for their children. Parents sacrifice for their children.

A parent’s love is modeled on God’s love.

What are the characteristics of your mother that you most admire? Can you share that love with others? If we loved others (not just our own children) with a mother’s/father’s love–the way God loves us–wouldn’t this world be a wonderful place?

Are there some characteristics of your mother’s legacy of love that you still need to work on? I haven’t yet achieved my mother’s selflessness or her infinite patience, but God is still working on me!

I hope and pray we can love with a mother’s (and father’s) love each day and that we can share that love with our family, neighbors, co-workers, and our community–not just on the second Sunday in May, but every day.