Mother’s Day

I got a Mother’s Day card and flowers yesterday from one of my son’s best friends. The card reads, “Some people just seem to go through life with their arms wide open. Like you. Everyone who comes through your door feels the warmth of your home and the welcome of your heart…” Of course I cried.

I cried because not only am I so honored that this teenage boy would even think of me on Mother’s Day, but also because I hope he feels the words are true – that he is welcome and loved in my home and in my presence. I hope that I am continuing the legacy of love poured into me through the years. I have such immense gratitude for various people who weren’t the ones to give life to me but poured life into me all the same. Mother’s Day is beautiful because you don’t have to have given birth to hold that special place in someone’s heart. It’s a day to recognize any woman who has made you feel loved or helped you grow.

I didn’t know until my thirties that my Momma had a mental disability that prevented her from fully caring for herself or her four children. Us kids grew up with various grandparents, seeing Momma intermittently when she came back home to her parents’ house, which typically lasted just long enough for us to start to get attached a little bit before she left again. We never knew where she went when she left, just that she was gone. Sadly, our story is not an isolated one. So many kids grow up with stories like ours. Even worse, not every kid has what we did – people who stepped in and filled some of the void.

My prayer this Mother’s Day is that we would look for ways to be void-fillers. To just love on people in whatever capacity God grants us because our need for a mother’s love and guidance doesn’t stop when we reach adulthood. I cannot imagine what my life would be if not for my great-grandmother and grandparents, my aunt, teachers and Sunday school teachers, the boss at my job in college, bosses and co-workers through the years, my sisters, my best friends, the ladies from church who carried me through the days before the divorce, spiritual mentors, prayer partners, and so many others.

If you have someone in your life that comes to mind this weekend, even if she’s not your birth mother, make sure she knows you appreciate her. And if you have a Momma who is present – not just “here” but actively present and involved in your life, treasure her and thank God for her. Her love is likely the closest to His you’ll experience here on Earth.