When I was my father’s son, Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother,
Proverbs 4:3 NKJV
Somehow that phrase grabbed me today, “the only one in the sight of my mother.” It’s Mother’s Day, and folks are all mushy, but the institution of motherhood as I knew it is a fading flower in our land. We should mourn. My mom has been with the Lord now for almost 12 years, and I get a little more grateful for her every year I live without her. She gave me things I didn’t even realize until she was gone.
Mom came up hard, abandoned by her father at birth and raised by her mom and a rough old sharecropper stepfather. She was at the top of her high school class of 6 and went plumb to Ardmore to “business school.” After learning to type and take shorthand, she moved to the big city (OKC) and got a job. She didn’t marry until she was thirty, when her much older boss finally got the message. Mom quit work to stay home with me. I was the only one in the sight of my mother, and I learned what it means to count on someone’s unconditional love, even when you mess your britches. She joined the PTA, became a Cub Scout den mother, and traveled with the band parents to our awful concerts. It’s wonderful to have someone who thinks you’re wonderful.
If you have a mom who is still with you, find something precious she gave you and thank her for it. If you don’t, then meditate on the good things she did. If you are a mother, take a minute to grasp the incredible power and importance of your calling. Really, this should be a day for happy mothers. Happy Mother’s Day!
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